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ASIA    MINOR 


Br  THE  SAME  AUTHOR 

ORIENTAL  RUGS 

ANTIQUE  AND   MODERN 

THE  BODLEY   HEAD 


'I'm:    TKKKK    OK    THE    .MK\'I.EVI     DKRVISHES    AT    KONIA 


ASIA  MINOR 

BY  WALTER  A.  HAWLEY 

WITH  ILLUSTRATIONS  FROM  PHOTO- 
GRAPHS 


LONDON:  JOHN  LANE  THE  BODLEY  HEAD 
NEW  YORK:  JOHN  LANE  COMPANY 
MCMXVIII 


PKINTED   BY   WILLIAM    bn-'NUON    AND  SON,    LTD.,    PLYMOUTH,    ENGLAND 


PREFACE 

IN  the  Hohenzollern  dream  of  placing  under 
the  sway  of  a  single  power  a  wedge  of 
country  cleaving  Europe  and  extending 
from  the  North  and  Baltic  Seas  to  the 
Persian  Gulf,  Asia  Minor  became  of  special  im- 
portance because  of  its  capability  under  scien- 
tific cultivation  of  largely  supplementing  the 
agricultural  products  of  the  German  Empire, 
and  because  it  lies  along  the  direct  road  to  the 
fertile  Mesopotamian  valley.  Accordingly,  the 
Germans  obtained  from  the  Turkish  Government 
several  concessions,  and  before  the  outbreak  of 
the  great  European  war  had  built  a  railroad  from 
the  Bosphorus  through  the  heart  of  Asia  Minor, 
and  had  constructed  an  extensive  canal  for  irri- 
gating the  central  plain. 

This  part  of  Asia,  which  within  a  few  years 
has  thus  been  brought  prominently  into  notice,  is 
visited  by  few  travellers,  and  is  unfamiHar  to  most 
readers. 

In  the  pages  that  follow  an  attempt  is  made, 
therefore,  after  briefly  sketching  its  physiography 
and  history,  to  give  a  general  idea  of  the  character 


3027S72 


vi  ASIA  MINOR 

of  its  scenery,  to  show  the  present  primitive  con- 
dition of  its  agricultural  and  industrial  develop- 
ment, and  to  indicate  some  of  the  possibiHties  of 
its  future.  The  people  also — a  factor  never  to  be 
neglected  in  any  broad  plan  of  progress — are 
described  as  they  appear  in  their  secular  affairs 
and  religious  observances.  Moreover,  the  classic 
ruins,  which  are  familiar  to  every  scholar,  and 
the  cities  of  the  "  Seven  Churches  of  Asia,"  en- 
deared because  of  their  sacred  associations,  are 
depicted  as  they  stand  to-day,  surrounded  by 
Oriental  squalor  or  buried  beneath  a  pall  of  silence 
and  solitude. 

With  a  few  exceptions  the  photographs  which 
have  been  used  in  making  the  illustrations  for 
the  text  were  taken  by  the  writer  while  travelHng 
through  the  country.  He  wishes,  however,  to 
acknowledge  the  courtesy  of  Prof.  Howard  Crosby 
Butler,  Director  of  the  American  Excavators  at 
Sardis,  for  his  kindness  in  permitting  the  use  of 
the  photographs  of  what  remains  of  the  Temple 
of  Artemis,  which  has  recently  been  excavated 

there. 

W.  A.  H. 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGII 

I.     The  Physiography  and  History  of  Asia 

Minor  ......         3 

II.    The  Asiatic  Shore  of  the  Sea  of  Marmora  : 

Hereke,  Brussa  ....       26 

III.  Constantinople  to  Smyrna       ...       58 

IV.  Smyrna 64 

V.    The  Valley  of  the  Caicus  :   Pergamus     .       97 

VI.  The  Valley  of  the  Hermus  :  Manisa 
(Magnesia  ad  Sipylum),  Ak-hissar 
(Thyateira),  Sardis,  Ala-Shehr  (Phila- 
delphia)        114 

VII.    The  Valley  of  the  Cayster  :  Ephesus     .     141 

VIII.  The  Valley  of  the  M^eander  :  Magnesia 
AD  M^andrum,  Aidin  (Tralles),  Priene, 
Colossi,  Laodicea,  Hierapolis  .         .     167 

IX.     From     Ala-Shehr    to     Konia  :      Oushak, 

Afium  Kara-Hissar,  Silleh         .         .     201 

X.     Konia 220 

XI.    To  the   East  of   Konia  :    Karaman,  the 

Road  to  Bagdad,  Nigdeh,  Kaisariyeh    247 

XII.     Eski-Shehr 265 

XIII.  To    THE    East    of    Eski-Shehr  :     Angora 

AND   THE    HiTTITE    RUINS  .  .        .       283 

XIV.  The  Southern  Shore  of  the  Black  Sea  : 

Samsun,  Kerasund,  Trebizond     .       .      296 

XV.     Conclusion        ......     318 

vii 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

The  Tekke  of  the  Mevlevi  Dervishes  at  Konia     Frontispiece 

FACING    PAGE 

At  the  Imperial  Factory  at  Hereke  ...       32 

The  Golden  Horn        .......       40 

On  the  Southern  Shore  of  the  Sea  of  Marmora       .       40 
Brussa  from  the  Yeshil  Jami     .....       48 

The  Main  Street  of  Brussa        .....       48 

A  Street  in  Smyrna  on  the  North  Side  of  Mt.  Pagus  56 
A  Street  in  Smyrna  near  the  Tekke  of  the  Whirling 

Dervishes        ........       64 

In    the    Courtyard    of    the    Howling    Dervishes    at 

Smyrna  ........       72 

Men  Returning  from  Killing  Locusts  in  the  Suburbs 

of  Smyrna       ........        72 

A  Courtyard  of  a  Caravansary  at  Smyrna        .  .       80 

A  Courtyard  of  a  Caravansary  at  Smyrna        ,          .       86 
An  Ancient  Road  near  the  Caravan  Bridge  at  Smyrna       86 
The  Caravan  Bridge  at  Smyrna  .  .  .  .92 

A  Loom  at  Smyrna      .......       98 

A  Warehouse  at  the  Station  ok  Ak-hissar        .  .       98 

A  Street  in  Ak-hissar         .  .  .  .  .  .112 

The  Excavations  at  Sardis,  looking  across  the  Pac- 

TOLUS       .  .  .  •  .  ■  •  •  .120 

The  Eastern  End  of  the  Ruined  Temple  of  Artemis 

AT  Sardis         .  .  .  •  •  •  ■  .128 

Mt.  Tmolus,  and  the  Hill  of  the  Tombs  beyond  the 

Excavations  of  Sardis  at  the  left        .  .  -134 

Primitive  Houses  at  Ayasoluk  .  .  ...  -134 

The  Theatre  at  Ephesus.  Mt.  Coressus  in  the  Back- 
ground .  .  .  .  •  •  •  •  .140 
Fragments    of    Capitals    and    Bases    of    Columns    at 

Ephesus  .  .  ■  •  ■  •  •  .146 

The  Proscenium  of  the  Theatre  of  P2phesus  .146 

A  Marble-P.wed  Street  near  ihe  Theatre  of  Ephesus  154 
Fragments    of   Carved    Marble    from    the    Ruins    at 

Ephesus  ........      162 

ix. 


ASIA  MINOR 


FACING  PAGE 


A   MOLLAH     ......... 

Thp:  Interior  of  a  Caravansary  .... 

The  Ruins  of  an  Ancient  Church  at  Hierapolis     . 

The  Cascades  of  Lime  and  Alum  Deposits  at  Hiera- 
polis      ......... 

Dwellings  and  Caves  at  Silleh  .  .  .  . 

A  Street  in  Konia.    The  Azizieh  Mosque  on  the  left 

The  Throne  of  Ala-ed-din  and  the  Karadayi  Mosque 
AT  Konia         ........ 

The  Courtyard  of  a  Medrissa  at  Konia    . 

The  Interior  of  the  Mosque  of  Ala-ed-din  at  Konia 

The  Portal  of  the  Injeh  Minaret  Mosque  at  Konia 

The  Portal  of  the  Sirtchali  Medrissa  at  Konia 

An  Ancient  Tekke  at  Konia       .  .          .          .          . 

The  Interior  of  the  Dome  of  an  Ancient  Tekke  at 
Konia      ......... 

The  Courtyard  of  the  Sirtchali  Medrissa  at  Konia 

The  Courtyard  of  the  Tekke  of  the  Mevlevi  Der- 
vishes AT  Konia      ...... 

The  Portal  of  Sultan  Khan      .... 

A  Flour  Mill  in  Eski-shehr       .... 

A  Flour  Mill  in  Eski-shehr       .... 

The  Watch  Tower  of  Angora    .... 

On  the  Bosphorus       ...... 

The  Bosphorus    ....... 

The  Walls  of  the  Medieval  Fort  at  Kerasund  facing 
THE  North      ....... 

The  Walls  of  the  Medieval  Fort  at  Kerasund  facing 
THE  South       ....... 

A  Well  by  the  Medieval  Fort  at  Kerasund    . 

The  Interior  of  the  Medieval  Fort  at  Kerasund 

Kerasund    ........ 

Trebizond    ........ 

A  Street  in  Trebizond        ..... 

A  Street  near  the  Bazaar  of  Trebi/ond  . 


170 

178 
178 

186 
194 
202 

210 
210 

218 
224 
232 
238 

246 
252 

252 
260 
268 
268 
276 
284 
284 

292 

292 
298 
298 
.304 
304 
310 
316 


MAPS 


Map  of  Asia  Minor     . 
Map  of  Ancient  Pergamus 


2 
104 


ASIA    MINOR 


Ana  or^ 


K 


ma. 


Kara.m 


'      E 


ASIA  MINOR 

CHAPTER  1 

THE   PHYSIOGRAPHY  AND   HISTORY   OF    ASIA    MINOR 

SINCE  the  fifth  century  B.C.,  the  term  Asia 
Minor  has  been  appUed  to  that  part  of 
Asia  which  extends  as  a  peninsula  between 
the  Black  and  Mediterranean  Seas  to  the 
easterly  shore  of  the  iEgean  Sea.  These  bodies  of 
water  and  the  Sea  of  Marmora  precisely  define  its 
limits  on  the  north,  south,  and  west  ;  but  to  the 
east  the  line  that  divides  it  from  Armenia  and 
Mesopotamia  is  vague,  yet  may  be  assumed  to 
pass  from  the  head  of  the  Gulf  of  Iskenderoon  in 
a  north-easterly  direction  to  a  point  on  the  Black 
Sea  a  short  distance  to  the  east  of  Trebizond. 

This  country  has  about  the  same  area  as  France ; 
but  in  latitude  and  physical  features  it  corresponds 
more  nearly  with  Spain.  It  consists  in  part  of  an 
elevated  plain,  which  has  a  maximum  length  from 
east  to  west  of  about  250  miles,  and  a  minimum 
width  from  north  to  south  of  about  175  miles. 
This  plain  lies  slightly  to  the  east  of  the  geographic 
centre.    Its  mean  elevation  is  not  less  than  3000 

3 


4  Asia  minor 

feet  ;  but  its  surface  is  diversified  by  scattered 
ridges  and  isolated  peaks,  and  it  is  surrounded  by 
mountain  ranges  with  flanks  and  spurs  descend- 
ing on  three  sides  to  the  seas.  As  the  clouds 
drifting  in  from  the  seas  lose  most  of  their  mois- 
ture on  the  outer  sides  of  the  encircHng  mountains, 
the  precipitation  over  the  enclosed  area  is  small. 
Most  of  the  streams  that  enter  it  traverse  but  a 
short  distance  of  its  surface,  then  sink  into  the 
ground,  leaving  behind  constantly  accumulating 
precipitations  of  alkali  brought  down  from  their 
limestone  watersheds,  or  empty  into  shallow 
bodies  of  salt  water,  which  are  all  that  remains 
of  a  great  lake  that  covered  it  in  Tertiary  times. 
As  a  result  of  the  insufficient  rainfall  and  the 
barrenness  of  the  soil,  harvests  are  meagre,  except 
where  irrigation  is  practised  ;  over  most  of  the 
land  stretch  treeless  downs  and  almost  grassless 
wastes. 

Above  the  southern  part  of  the  plain  the  Taurus 
range  rises  as  a  great  wall,  and  extends  for  almost 
the  whole  length  of  Asia  Minor  parallel  to  the 
Mediterranean  shore.  At  its  eastern  end  it  divides 
into  smaller  ranges,  of  which  the  Anti-Taurus 
continues  north-easterly  until  it  joins  the  more 
complicated  system  of  lofty  mountains  that  face 
the  Black  Sea  along  the  whole  northern  coast  of 
Asia  Minor.  Furthermore,  on  the  westerly  side, 
the  still  less  clearly  defined  range  of  the  Phrygian 
mountains  connects  this  last  system  on  the  north 
with  the  Taurus  range  on  the  south  ;  while  it  also 


PHYSIOGRAPHY   AND   HISTORY         5 

reaches  in  a  number  of  lateral  branches  towards 
the  iEgean  Sea. 

To  some  extent  the  folding  of  the  earth's  crust 
into  ridges  seems  to  have  determined  the  river 
courses;  but  in  many  parts  of  the  country  the 
rivers  have  carved  the  mountains  and  shaped  the 
consequent  valleys.  None  of  these  rivers  are 
navigable  ;  and  many  of  them,  because  of  their 
rapid  fall  and  the  fact  that  the  rain  and  quickly 
melting  snow  occur  almost  entirely  during  a  few 
months  of  the  year,  are  during  winter  and  spring 
fierce  torrents  bearing  along  large  quantities  of 
sediment,  and  in  summer  and  fall  are  almost  dry 
streams.  The  principal  river  is  the  Halys  of 
history,  which  is  known  by  the  Turks  as  the  Kizil 
Irmak,  or  Red  River.  Rising  in  the  north-eastern 
part  of  Asia  Minor,  it  follows  for  over  550  miles 
a  course  shaped  like  a  horseshoe,  bending  to  the 
south-west  till  it  touches  the  central  plain,  then 
to  the  north-west,  and  then  again  to  the  north- 
east, until  finally  it  empties  into  the  Black  Sea. 
A  shorter  river  is  the  Sakaria,  the  ancient  San- 
garius,  which  rising  in  the  Phrygian  mountains 
flows  northward  to  the  Black  Sea  ;  but,  as  if  by 
some  vagary  of  nature,  it  turns  eastward  in  the 
middle  of  its  course,  only  to  turn  westward  again 
after  it  has  touched  the  central  plain.  Numerous 
small  rivers,  of  which  the  Cydnus  is  the  most 
historic,  flow  southward  from  the  Taurus  moun- 
tains to  the  Mediterranean.  Each  of  these  has 
interesting  associations  ;   but  the  rivers  that  flow 


6  ASIA  MINOR 

westward  through  the  ancient  countries  of  Mysia, 
Lydia,  and  Caria  into  the  ^Egean  Sea  pass  the 
grounds  richest  in  classic  lore.  In  the  extreme 
north-western  part  of  Asia  Minor,  the  Scamander 
passes  the  ruins  of  ancient  Troy  ;  farther  to  the 
south,  the  Caicus  waters  the  valley  where  the 
kings  of  Pergamus  ruled  ;  branches  of  the  Hermus 
course  by  the  Biblical  cities  of  Philadelphia,  Thy- 
ateira,  and  Sardis,  then  uniting  glide  through  a 
new  channel  into  the  bay  of  Smyrna  ;  still  farther 
south,  the  Cayster  flows  by  the  ruins  of  Ephesus  ; 
and  the  Mseander,  after  winding  by  Laodicea, 
Magnesia,  Priene,  and  Miletus,  empties  into  the 
iEgean  Sea  below  the  island  of  Samos. 

Along  the  northern  coast  of  Asia  Minor,  where 
the  rivers  are  rapid,  the  valleys  are  narrow,  and 
there  is  comparatively  little  arable  land  ;  yet,  on 
account  of  the  fertihty  of  the  soil,  not  only  grain 
and  corn  are  raised,  but  fruit  trees  thrive  mar- 
vellously well.  In  fact,  this  section  has  been 
regarded  as  the  native  land  of  many  well-known 
fruits,  some  of  which,  as  pears,  apples,  and  plums, 
and  also  hazel  nuts,  still  grow  wild  on  the  moun- 
tain sides.  Many  of  the  ridges  are  covered  with 
such  trees  as  the  black  oak  and  chestnut ;  while 
shady  glens  are  overgrown  with  flowering  plants, 
including  the  arbutus,  azalea,  and  rhododendron. 
The  Taurus  mountains,  facing  the  Mediterranean, 
are  exposed  to  different  climatic  conditions,  so 
that  here  the  vegetation  is  somewhat  different. 
Their  summits  support  extensive  forests  of  valonia- 


PHYSIOGRAPHY   AND   HISTORY        7 

bearing  oaks,  and  also  pine-trees  of  the  black,  red, 
and  white  species,  some  of  which  grow  to  a  height 
of  eighty  feet  and  have  a  diameter  of  seven  feet. 
In  favoured  spots  at  lower  altitudes,  where  the 
streams  have  deposited  rich  soil  brought  from 
above,  the  ohve,  mulberry,  pomegranate,  and  fig 
grow  proHfically,  and  oranges  and  lemons  are 
successfully  cultivated. 

It  is,  however,  in  the  broad  alluvial  valleys  of 
the  Hermus,  Cayster,  and  Maeander  that  cultiva- 
tion is  most  extensive,  that  harvests  are  most 
bountiful.  Here  are  fields  of  wheat  and  oats,  and 
greater  fields  of  barley.  Here,  partly  hidden  by 
rows  of  poplars,  are  patches  of  tobacco  and  cotton 
as  well  as  vineyards  of  seedless  grapes ;  and  near 
the  cypress-shaded  villages  are  numerous  orchards 
of  olives  and  fig-trees.  With  slight  effort  the 
lethargic  native  is  able  to  obtain  the  necessities  of 
hfe,  for  the  fertile  soil,  the  warm  sunshine,  and  an 
abundance  of  water  have  combined  to  make  this 
western  shore  the  most  productive  part  of  Asia 
Minor. 

Some  of  these  vegetable  products  are  raised  with 
unusual  facihty,  and  some  attain  an  exceptional 
standard  of  excellence.  Thus  the  district  around 
Afium  Kara-hissar  is  noted  for  its  opium  ;  and  the 
country  about  Brussa,  to  the  south  of  the  Sea  of 
Marmora,  for  its  mulberries  ;  saffron  is  exten- 
sively cultivated  at  SafaranboU  in  Bithynia  ;  and 
Smyrna  has  given  its  name  to  the  figs  grown  in  the 
warm  valleys  beyond  it  to  the  south. 


8  ASIA  MINOR 

There  also  lies  hidden  in  the  folds  of  the  rugged 
mountains  of  Asia  Minor  an  undeveloped  wealth 
of  coal,  iron,  lead,  copper,  silver,  and  gold,  which 
in  an  imperfect  way  were  mined  even  in  classic 
times ;  but  as  yet  their  exploitation  has  been  most 
superficial. 

The  geographic  position  of  Asia  Minor,  sur- 
rounded on  three  sides  by  bodies  of  water,  and 
the  inequalities  in  the  altitude  of  its  surface  occa- 
sion great  diversity  of  climate.  The  coast  of  the 
Black  Sea,  which  is  exposed  to  the  winds  and  fogs 
that  come  from  the  north,  is  much  colder  than 
parts  subject  to  the  warmer  breezes  of  the  Medi- 
terranean and  JEgesLU  Seas  ;  many  of  the  valleys 
along  the  low  flanks  of  the  Taurus  mountains  have 
an  almost  tropical  climate,  which  in  summer  be- 
comes very  oppressive  ;  and  the  plateau  of  the 
interior,  on  account  of  its  altitude  and  dryness, 
experiences  the  extremes  of  cold  winters  and  hot 
summers.  On  the  whole,  the  most  agreeable 
climate  is  in  the  valleys  along  the  western  shore, 
which  are  tempered  by  the  warm  waters  of  the 
iEgean  Sea  and  in  a  measure  protected  from  winds 
by  the  encircling  hills  and  the  islands  of  the  Archi- 
pelago. Here  prevails  a  mild  and  delightful  climate 
surpassed  in  few,  if  any,  parts  of  the  world. 

Such  being  the  general  characteristics  of  Asia 
Minor — at  the  extreme  end  of  Western  Asia,  where 
it  faces  the  Continent  of  Europe,  possessing  land 
which  over  great  areas  was  once  covered  with 
forests  of  magnificent  timber  and  native  trees  of 


PHYSIOGRAPHY   AND   HISTORY         9 

edible  fruit,  with  many  valleys  of  rich  alluvial  soil 
capable  of  producing  with  slight  effort  the  necessi- 
ties of  life,  and  having  a  climate  satisfying  the 
demands  of  any  temperament — it  was  natural 
that  even  from  the  earliest  times  it  should  attract 
the  migrations  of  conquering  nations. 

The  geographic  and  physiographic  features  of 
Asia  Minor  are  probably  in  a  large  measure  re- 
sponsible also  for  the  facts  that,  during  historic 
times,  it  has  been  constantly  the  battle  ground  of 
warring  nations,  and  that  none  of  them  for  long 
maintained  supremacy.  As  it  was  that  part  of 
Asia  which  extended  far  beyond  any  other  towards 
cultivated  Europe,  it  was  the  natural  approach  ; 
yet  as  the  heart  of  the  land  is  an  almost  unin- 
habitable desert  surrounded  by  extensive  ranges 
of  inhospitable  mountains  which  reach  on  the 
north  and  south  to  seas,  and  as  the  fertile  tract 
along  the  iEgean  shore  consists  of  valleys  largely 
isolated  from  one  another  by  high  intervening 
ridges,  the  maintenance  of  a  single  supreme 
dominion  over  people  separated  by  such  natural 
boundaries  and  lacking  modern  facilities  of  com- 
munication was  exceedingly  difficult. 

The  oldest  indigenous  inhabitants  of  Asia  Minor 
of  which  we  have  any  accurate  knowledge  were  a 
race  of  non- Aryan  stock,  known  as  the  Hittites  of 
Biblical  history  and  the  White  Syrians  of  Strabo. 
They  had  two  important  capitals  :  one  at  Car- 
chemish,  in  Assyria,  which  as  early  as  the  six- 
teenth century  B.C.  was  sufficiently  powerful  to 


10  ASIA  MINOR 

withstand  the  assaults  of  a  numerous  Egyptian 
army  ;  the  other,  which  until  comparatively  re- 
cently was  but  little  known,  at  Pteria,  now  Boghaz 
Keui,  among  the  mountains  about  a  hundred  miles 
to  the  east  of  Angora.  The  circumstances  that  led 
to  the  identification  of  Boghaz  Keui  as  a  city  of 
the  Hittites  well  illustrates  the  extent  of  their 
power.  Until  the  last  half  of  the  last  century, 
certain  carved  monuments  found  in  such  widely 
separated  parts  of  Asia  Minor  as  Ivriz,  in  the 
Taurus  range,  and  the  Pass  of  Karabel,  on  the 
road  between  Ephesus  and  Sardis,  had  been  at- 
tributed to  Egyptian  workmanship.  But  finally 
it  was  noticed  that  these  monuments  had  the  same 
hieroglyphics,  written  in  "  boustrophedon  "  style, 
or  alternating  from  right  to  left  and  from  left  to 
right,  and  the  same  thick-set,  homely  figures  with 
spear  and  bow  and  wearing  shoes  upturned  at 
the  toes,  as  characterize  those  found  in  the  ruins 
of  the  Hittites  of  Carchemish  and  other  places 
that  they  held  in  Assyria.  Moreover,  it  was  ob- 
served that  monuments  of  similar  workmanship 
existed  at  Giaour  Kalesi,  a  day's  journey  to  the 
south-west  of  Angora,  and  at  Boghaz  Keui.  The 
Hittite  race,  then,  had  at  some  remote  period  held 
sway  over  all  this  country. 

Furthermore,  when  the  Persians  first  invaded 
Asia  Minor  they  found  a  well-constructed  road, 
with  skilfully  made  bridges,  which,  bending  north- 
ward from  the  passes  that  connected  it  with 
Assyria,   went   directly  to   Boghaz   Keui  ;    then. 


PHYSIOGRAPHY   AND  HISTORY        ii 

turning  southward,  crossed  Phrygia  to  the  valley 
of  the  Hermus,  and  continued  thence  to  the  city 
of  Ephesus,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Cayster.  As  this 
road,  known  as  the  Royal  Road,  is  of  great  an- 
tiquity, and  passes  the  several  sites  where  monu- 
ments of  the  Hittites  are  found,  there  is  little 
doubt  that  it  was  built  by  them.  The  fact  that 
it  turns  far  to  the  north,  away  from  the  ordinary 
course  in  traversing  this  country,  is  sufficient  evi- 
dence that  when  it  was  built  the  supreme  power 
west  of  the  Taurus  mountains  was  at  Boghaz  Keui. 
And  its  extent,  reaching  from  Assyria  to  the 
^gean  Sea,  indicates  the  importance  to  which  the 
Hittites  had  attained.  Indeed,  they  were  prob- 
ably the  most  formidable  and  remarkable  people 
that  ever  ruled  in  Asia  Minor. 

Of  their  origin  nothing  is  known  ;  but  it  has 
been  pointed  out  that  their  upturned  shoes  were 
so  designed  to  facilitate  walking  through  snow; 
while  the  carved  representations  of  their  gloves, 
in  which,  Uke  a  mitten,  the  fingers  were  united  in 
one  piece  and  the  thumbs  alone  were  separated, 
also  indicate  constant  exposure  to  cold  climates. 
Perhaps  they  came  from  the  Anti-Taurus  range 
or  the  mountainous  regions  south  of  the  Black 
Sea.  But,  whatever  their  origin,  their  power  ex- 
tended to  larger  circumferences,  until,  at  the  time 
of  Rameses  II,  the  Pharaoh  who  oppressed  the 
Isarelites,  their  armies  included  warriors  from  the 
^gean  shore,  and  were  sufficiently  strong  to 
threaten  the  overthrow  of  the  Egyptian  dynasty. 


12  ASIA  MINOR 

Again  and  again  they  clashed  with  the  people 
of  Babylon  and  Nineveh,  from  whom  they  received 
something  of  Eastern  culture,  to  transmit  it  in 
turn  to  the  ruder  natives  of  Asia  Minor.  They  also 
influenced  the  religious  thought  and  cult  of  even 
the  Grecian  colonists  on  the  ^gean  shore,  as  ap- 
pears from  the  form  of  worship  at  the  shrine  of 
Artemis,  at  Ephesus,  which  to  a  large  degree  de- 
parted from  the  more  decorous  observances  in 
Greece  and  followed  the  intemperate  rites  pre- 
viously practised  there  in  the  name  of  the  Hittite 
goddess  Ma.  For  several  centuries  their  power 
was  supreme  throughout  Asia  Minor,  then  it 
gradually  waned  ;  but  as  a  people  they  long  sur- 
vived ;  and,  though  gradually  absorbed  by  other 
races,  it  is  believed  that  some  of  them  still  exist, 
with  their  early  distinctive  characteristics,  among 
the  hills  of  the  Anti-Taurus  range. 

At  an  uncertain  date,  but  probably  about  the 
twelfth  century  B.C.,  an  Aryan  race  crossed  the 
Hellespont  and  took  possession  of  the  country 
along  the  upper  branches  of  the  Sakaria  River. 
Here  they  came  into  conflict  with  the  Hittites,  and 
expelled  or  absorbed  those  who  dwelt  in  the  region 
they  acquired.  Increasing  in  numbers  and  power, 
they  became  known  as  the  Phrygian  monarchy, 
which  at  one  time  held  in  subjection  the  country 
as  far  north  as  the  Black  Sea,  and  as  far  west  as 
the  ^gean  ;  yet  their  own  territory  was  confined 
almost  entirely  to  the  mountainous  district  be- 
tween the  central  plain  and  the  western  coast, 


PHYSIOGRAPHY    AND    HISTORY       13 

whereas  the  great  stronghold  of  the  Hittites  in 
Asia  Minor  was  at  the  northern  edge  of  the 
plain. 

Their  ruined  monuments  and  fortifications  ex- 
tend over  an  area  about  forty  miles  in  length  and 
twenty  in  breadth  ;  but  their  cities  and  towns, 
which  were  doubtless  built  of  sun-dried  brick, 
long  since  melted  away.  On  some  of  these  monu- 
ments are  engraved  the  words  "  Cybele  the 
Mother  "  and  "  Midas  the  King."  The  term 
"  Midas,"  like  "  Pharaoh  "  of  the  Egyptians,  was 
the  name  of  the  dynasty,  whose  earliest  history  is 
largely  distorted  by  fable.  The  story  of  the 
peasant  who  came  to  the  market-place  with  an 
ox-cart  carrying  his  wife  and  son,  and  was  at  once 
hailed  as  king  by  the  expectant  people,  is  doubt- 
less woven  of  the  same  warp  and  woof  as  that  in 
which  Apollo  changed  the  ears  of  a  subsequent 
king  to  those  of  an  ass  because  he  had  preferred 
the  music  of  Pan.  Yet  it  is  known  that  the  con- 
stantly multiplying  Phrygians  traded  with  the 
Greek  colonies  recently  established  on  the  western 
coast,  and  that  their  power  became  so  great  that 
they  were  held  in  respectful  regard  by  the  cities 
of  the  parent  Greece.  Finally,  they  were  subdued 
by  a  horde  of  invaders  known  as  the  Cimmerians, 
who,  driven  from  their  own  northern  abodes  by 
the  Scythians,  swept  over  a  great  part  of  Asia 
Minor.  In  despair,  the  Phrygian  king  poisoned 
himself  with  the  blood  of  a  bull,  and  his  kingdom 
was  so   devastated   that,   when    the  Cimmerians 


14  ASIA  MINOR 

were  finally  expelled,  it  yielded  with  slight  resist- 
ance to  the  rising  Lydian  power. 

Apart  from  the  fact  that  the  Lydians  were  a 
Semitic  race,  little  of  their  early  history  is  defi- 
nitely known.  At  one  time  they  were  subject  to 
the  Hittites,  and,  still  later,  were  probably  subject 
to  the  Phrygians.  In  the  early  part  of  the  sixth 
century  B.C.,  one  of  their  kings,  Alyattes,  van- 
quished the  Cimmerians  and  captured  Smyrna  ; 
he  then  took  other  Greek  cities  on  the  western 
coast,  and,  subduing  the  Phrygians,  soon  extended 
his  power  as  far  as  the  River  Halys.  His  capital 
was  at  Sardis,  in  the  fertile  valley  of  the  Hermus, 
where  his  son,  Croesus,  ruled  in  splendour  for 
fifteen  years  before  his  overthrow  in  546  B.C.  by 
Cyrus,  the  Persian.  With  this  event  the  Lydian 
kingdom  practically  came  to  an  end. 

The  Hittites,  Phrygians,  and  Lydians  estab- 
lished their  capitals  at  places  remote  from  the  sea, 
and  at  different  times  ruled  over  extensive  parts 
of  Asia  Minor  ;  but,  long  before  their  kingdoms 
were  overthrown,  the  Greeks  had  planted  colonies 
along  the  western  coast,  which,  partly  because  of 
their  location  in  separate  valleys,  and  more  par- 
ticularly because  of  their  inherited  ideas  unfavour- 
able to  a  strong  federation,  grew  up  independent 
of  one  another  and  never  became  a  nation.  The 
earliest  of  these  colonies  found  traces  of  the 
much  older  JEgesm  civilization,  which  had 
built  the  wondrous  palace  of  Knossos  in  Crete, 
where  the  dynasty  of  Minos  ruled,  and  had  settled 


PHYSIOGRAPHY    AND    HISTORY       15 

here  and  there  among  the  islands  of  the  JEgean 
Sea  and  along  its  shore  as  far  north  as  Troy  ;  but 
it  is  not  likely  that  their  own  civilization  was  much 
influenced  by  that  of  these  predecessors. 

It  was  perhaps  even  earlier  than  the  fourteenth 
century  B.C.  that  these  Greek  colonists  began  to 
settle  on  the  coast  of  Asia  Minor.  The  historical 
evidence  in  regard  to  their  migrations  is  very  im- 
perfect ;  but,  from  the  facts  that  remain,  they 
may  conveniently  be  divided  into  two  principal 
groups  :  the  ^EoHan-Achaeans  and  the  lonians. 
The  first  of  the  iEolian-Achaeans,  who  probably 
preceded  the  lonians,  and  had  left  their  homes  to 
escape  from  northern  invaders,  found  an  easy 
passage  over  the  Hellespont,  and  settled  on  the 
neighbouring  shore  of  ancient  Mysia  ;  others  of 
the  same  race  who  followed  went  farther  south, 
and  settled  on  the  island  of  Lesbos  and  in  parts  of 
Lydia.  At  the  time  of  their  migration,  Greece 
itself  had  attained  but  a  shght  degree  of  civiliza- 
tion, so  that  having  acquired  but  little  previous 
experience  in  the  principles  of  government,  and 
meeting  with  opposition  from  native  tribes,  they 
never  became  a  strong  power.  The  more  impor- 
tant group  were  the  lonians,  who  also  settled  among 
the  fertile  valleys  of  Lydia  as  well  as  in  northern 
Caria.  They  came  largely  from  the  central  and 
most  advanced  parts  of  Greece,  bringing  with  them 
ripe  experience  and  a  knowledge  of  political  organ- 
ization, so  that,  after  expelling  or  absorbing  the 
natives  they  encountered  on  the  Asiatic  shores, 


i6  ASIA  MINOR 

they  rose  to  such  importance  that  they  in  turn 
estabhshed  other  colonies  along  the  coast,  in  the 
Black  Sea,  and  even  as  far  away  as  Sicily,  Italy, 
and  Marseilles. 

The  relations  of  these  Greek  colonists  with  the 
Phrygians  and  Lydians  were  largely  commercial. 
Their  cities,  situated  on  favourable  harbours,  be- 
came the  marts  for  the  wealth  of  the  East  and 
West,  which  their  ships  conveyed  back  and  forth. 
They  likewise  exchanged  the  fruits  of  their  own 
fertile  valleys,  so  that  they  came  in  contact  on  the 
one  hand  with  Oriental  luxury,  on  the  other  with 
Greek  culture.  While  they  grew  commercially 
until  they  emulated  the  maritime  splendour  of 
Phoenicia,  their  schools  of  hterature,  art,  and  phil- 
osophy also  flourished.  The  result  was  that  they 
soon  rose  to  a  degree  of  wealth  and  culture  that 
rivalled,  if  it  did  not  surpass,  the  attainments  of 
Greece  itself. 

Unfortunately,  the  Greek  tradition  which  led  to 
the  maintenance  of  independent  communities  with 
no  strong  bond  of  government,  a  mild,  agreeable 
climate  conducive  to  langour,  and  the  usual  results 
of  luxury  and  protracted  peace,  rendered  the 
colonists  unable  to  withstand  the  force  of  the  first 
great  attacking  power.  About  560  B.C.  they 
yielded  one  by  one  to  the  arms  of  Croesus,  and  after 
his  death  they  became  an  easy  prey  to  the  kings 
of  Persia,  to  whom  for  many  years  they  continued 
to  pay  tribute  ;  yet,  apart  from  political  depen- 
dence, their  activities  remained  much  as  before. 


PHYSIOGRAPHY   AND   HISTORY       17 

Their  yoke  was  not  severe ;  but  about  the  begin- 
ning of  the  fifth  century  B.C.,  forgetting  sectional 
differences,  they  united  in  what  is  known  as  the 
Ionian  Revolt.  It  was  instigated  by  Aristagoras, 
of  Miletus,  who  secured  the  co-operation  of  the 
Ionian  cities  and  the  assistance  of  twenty  ships 
from  Athens,  as  well  as  a  corresponding  number 
from  Eretria.  The  war  centred  about  Miletus, 
which  was  blockaded  by  six  hundred  Persian 
galleys,  against  which  the  galleys  of  the  allies  made 
such  a  feeble  resistance  that  the  city  was  taken  by 
storm,  the  men  were  killed,  and  the  children  carried 
away  in  slavery.  With  the  fall  of  Miletus  in  484 
B.C.  the  revolt  ended. 

The  dominion  of  the  Persians  over  the  Greek 
colonies  seemed  more  secure  than  ever  before  ;  but 
when,  in  their  desire  to  be  revenged  on  the  Athe- 
nians and  Eretrians  for  their  part  in  the  revolt,  they 
invaded  Greece,  and  were  defeated  at  Marathon 
and  Thermopylae  and  Salamis,  they  were  forced  to 
withdraw  from  Asia  Minor.  The  colonists  were 
now  freed  from  Persia;  but  they  yielded  to  the 
hegemony  of  Athens,  which  was  passing  through 
the  golden  age  of  Pericles,  and  even  paid  her  an 
annual  tribute  until  near  the  close  of  the  fifth 
century,  when  Sparta  became  the  supreme  power 
in  Greece. 

It  was  about  this  time,  401  B.C.,  that  occurred 
the  "  March  of  the  Ten  Thousand,"  which  is  of 
interest  in  the  study  of  Asia  Minor,  though  it  had 
httle  influence  on  subsequent  history.     On  the 


i8  ASIA  MINOR 

death  of  Darius,  Artaxerxes  succeeded  to  the 
Persian  throne ;  but  a  younger  son,  Cyrus,  who  was 
favoured  by  his  mother,  set  out  from  his  satrapy 
in  Asia  Minor  to  dispute  his  brother's  possession, 
with  an  army  that  included  thirteen  thousand 
Greek  mercenaries.  One  of  the  Greeks  was  Xeno- 
phon,  who  had  been  a  pupil  of  Socrates.  It  is  he 
who,  in  his  Anabasis,  gives  such  an  interesting 
account  of  how  the  army  of  Cyrus,  after  leaving 
Sardis  and  traversing  the  valley  of  the  Hermus. 
and  passing  over  to  the  upper  valley  of  the  Maeander 
by  the  sites  of  Laodicea  and  HierapoUs,  and  then 
marching  on  through  Iconium  and  the  CiHcian 
Gates,  finally  met  the  army  of  Artaxerxes  at 
Cunaxa,  only  a  few  miles  above  Babylon.  Then, 
after  the  death  of  Cyrus  in  the  hour  of  his  victory, 
began  that  memorable  retreat  in  which  Xenophon 
led  the  Greeks  up  the  valley  of  the  Tigris  and 
across  the  rough  mountains  of  Armenia  to  Trebi- 
zond,  on  the  Black  Sea. 

During  the  first  half  of  the  fourth  century  B.C., 
the  Greek  colonists  were  obliged  to  pay  tribute  to 
the  Persians,  who  had  regained  some  influence  in 
Asia  Minor,  and  at  times  to  Athens,  which  had 
recovered  some  of  its  lost  power.  When  the  in- 
fluence of  Greece  waned,  they  yielded  to  the  armies 
of  Alexander  the  Great  and  those  of  his  successors. 
Later  still,  they  paid  tribute  to  a  branch  of  that 
race  of  Gauls  who,  under  Brennus,  had  once  taken 
Rome.  These  hardy  barbarians  of  the  north, 
reaching  Byzantium  in  one  of  their  incursions, 


PHYSIOGRAPHY   AND   HISTORY       19 

were  invited  by  the  king  of  Bithynia  to  aid  him 
against  his  brother,  and  were  so  dehghted  with  the 
sunny  valleys  of  this  southern  land  that  they 
decided  to  remain.  Gradually  they  took  posses- 
sion of  most  of  the  country  as  far  as  the  Anti- 
Taurus  range  ;  but  about  the  middle  of  the  third 
century  B.C.  they  were  checked  in  the  valley  of 
the  Caicus  by  Eumenes  I,  king  of  Pergamus,  and 
a  little  later  were  completely  defeated  and  shut  up 
in  Galatia  by  Attains  I.  The  successors  of  these 
two  kings,  who  extended  their  empire  to  the 
sources  of  the  Euphrates,  were  not  only  warriors, 
but  men  of  culture,  under  whose  patronage  and 
enlightened  government  the  fame  of  Pergamus 
spread  throughout  the  shores  of  the  Mediterranean. 
For  a  short  time  some  of  the  early  glory  of  Asia 
Minor  revived;  yet  its  Greek  cities,  which  have 
contributed  so  much  to  the  enhghtenment  of  the 
world,  had  seen  their  greatest  days.  Finally  they 
became  a  province  of  the  Roman  Empire  ;  and 
with  its  decline  their  political  position  and  the 
splendour  of  their  accomplishments  in  the  fields 
of  Hterature,  philosophy,  and  art,  justly  compar- 
able to  those  of  Greece  and  Rome,  though  less 
known  and  less  appreciated,  gradually  faded  away. 
A  thousand  years  of  the  Christian  era  passed 
before  any  great  power  ruled  again  over  Asia 
Minor  ;  then  from  the  steppes  north  of  Mongoha 
came  the  band  of  Seljukian  Turks.  Expelled  from 
his  tribe,  Seljuk  travelled  westward  with  a  hun- 
dred horsemen,   a  thousand  camels,   and  many 


20  ASIA  MINOR 

thousand  sheep,  and  settled  on  the  plains  of  Tur- 
kestan, not  far  from  Bokhara.  His  people  increased 
rapidly  in  numbers  and  power  till,  in  the  year 
1039  A.D.,  the  grandsons  of  Seljuk  invaded  and 
took  possession  of  Khorasan,  as  well  as  the  rich 
cities  of  Merv  and  Balkh,  and  within  a  few  years 
extended  their  conquests  to  Western  Persia.  In 
1063  the  Seljuks  captured  Bagdad,  and  then,  under 
Alp  Arslan,  began  the  conquest  of  Asia  Minor, 
which  at  that  time  was  in  possession  of  races 
largely  Greek,  who  have  been  described  as  "  in- 
dustrious, intelligent,  and  civilized."  While 
William  the  Conqueror  was  forcibly  introducing 
Norman  customs  among  the  people  of  Britain, 
Arslan  was  everywhere  devastating  fair  provinces 
and  destroying  what  remained  of  the  early  culture. 

On  the  death  of  Arslan,  in  1073,  by  the  blow  of 
an  assassin,  his  son,  Malek  Shah,  succeeded  him, 
and  during  his  rule  of  nineteen  years  raised  the 
empire  of  the  Seljuks  to  the  greatest  heights  it 
ever  reached.  He  extended  his  dominion  over 
almost  all  Asia  Minor,  as  well  as  over  Persia  and 
Turkestan,  encouraged  literature  and  science,  and 
assembled  the  most  noted  astronomers  to  revise  the 
calendar,  with  the  result  that  the  new  calendar 
was  pronounced  by  the  historian  Gibbon  superior 
to  the  Julian.  Before  his  death,  he  divided  his 
empire  among  his  relatives,  leaving  Asia  Minor  to 
his  cousin  Soliman,  to  whom  he  had  previously 
entrusted  its  government. 

Soliman  established  at  Nicaea  the  capital  of  his 


PHYSIOGRAPHY  AND   HISTORY       21 

empire,  which  subsequently  was  known  as  the 
Sultanate  of  Roum.  In  1074  his  sovereignty  was 
recognized  by  the  Byzantines ;  but  his  son  lost 
Nicaea,  and  then  transferred  the  capital  to  Iconium, 
where  for  about  three  centuries  the  Seljukian 
sultans  continued  to  rule.  In  1200  a.d.  their 
empire  extended  over  most  of  Asia  Minor  and 
Armenia ;  from  1 219  to  1230  a.d,  it  enjoyed  a  short 
period  of  unusual  splendour  under  Ala-ed-din  the 
Great ;  and,  though  in  1243  a.d.  his  son  was  de- 
feated and  made  a  vassal  by  the  Mongols,  the 
Seljukian  race  was  still  a  dominant  power  in  Asia 
Minor  as  late  as  1350  a.d. 

The  Seljuks  of  Roum  had  destroyed  whatever 
opposed  them ;  yet  they  were  also  constructive. 
Like  Malek  Shah,  they  were  patrons  of  culture. 
They  invited  to  their  capital  artists,  poets,  and 
philosophers ;  and  the  architecture  of  their  med- 
rissas,  tombs,  and  mosques  which  still  remain  is 
silent  yet  sufficient  testimony  of  their  high  and 
tasteful  appreciation  of  artistic  beauty.  For  many 
preceding  centuries  the  greatness  of  the  ancient 
cities  of  Asia  Minor  had  been  fading  like  the  crum- 
bhng  of  their  monuments  ;  with  the  advent  of  the 
Seljuks,  Oriental  philosophy,  religion,  and  govern- 
ment wrought  a  transformation  in  the  earlier 
Greek  ideals. 

While  the  Seljuks  were  still  ruling  at  Iconium, 
the  Mongols  were  waging  war  against  the  Sultan 
Gelaleddin  of  Persia,  whom  they  finally  defeated 
among  the  mountains  of  Kurdistan.    A  few  of  his 


22  ASIA  MINOR 

scattered  followers,  whose  ancestors  were  Turco- 
man shepherds  and  whose  descendants  were  in 
time  to  fomid  the  Ottoman  Empire,  came  by- 
chance  upon  the  Seljuks  under  Ala-ed-din  fight- 
ing against  their  common  enemy,  and,  joining 
with  them,  turned  probable  defeat  into  victory. 
In  return  for  this  service  they  were  granted  a 
tract  of  land  on  the  Sakaria  River,  near  the  Byzan- 
tine frontier.  Their  leader,  Orthogrul,  was  the 
father  of  Osman,  whose  followers,  by  a  corruption 
of  the  name,  have  been  called  Ottomans,  Osman 
was  not  only  a  pastoral  chief  but  a  soldier,  who 
with  Moslem  zeal  successfully  invaded  the  posses- 
sions of  his  infidel  neighbours,  and  rapidly  ex- 
tended the  circumference  of  his  domains  until,  on 
the  fall  of  Brussa,  which  was  taken  by  his  son 
Orchan  after  a  vigorous  siege,  they  included  most 
of  the  country  as  far  west  as  the  Sea  of  Marmora. 
His  grandson,  Murad,  still  strengthened  the 
empire,  and  with  conquering  armies  crossed  the 
Hellespont,  but  fell  in  battle  with  the  Servians 
and  Bulgarians.  Bajazet,  his  successor,  surpassed 
all  previous  Ottoman  rulers,  and  would  probably 
have  captured  the  Byzantine  capital  but  for  the 
appearance  from  the  East  of  a  still  greater  con- 
queror. 

Like  a  pestilence  that  leaves  in  its  path  desola- 
tion and  death,  turning  flourishing  cities  into 
sepulchres  of  the  slain,  Tamerlane  swept  with  a 
vast  horde  of  Tartars  and  Mongols  westward  from 
Turkestan,  and,  crossing  Persia,  Mesopotamia,  and 


PHYSIOGRAPHY   AND   HISTORY       23 

Syria,  entered  Asia  Minor.  In  1402  a.d.  he  met 
Bajazet  on  the  plains  near  Angora,  crushed  his 
army,  and  took  him  prisoner.  All  Western  Asia, 
including  the  cities  of  early  Greek  culture,  soon 
yielded  to  him,  and  the  rising  empire  of  the  Turks 
seemed  doomed ;  but  far  to  the  East,  beyond  the 
walls  of  China,  lay  a  greater  and  still  unconquered 
country.  Tamerlane  retraced  his  steps  to  his 
capital  at  Samarkand,  where,  while  planning  for 
the  new  conquest,  he  unexpectedly  died. 

After  the  death  of  Tamerlane  his  empire  quickly 
fell  to  pieces,  and  Asia  Minor  became  the  arena 
where  for  ten  years  the  sons  of  Bajazet  fought  for 
the  sovereignty.  The  final  victor  was  soon  suc- 
ceeded by  Murad  II,  who  ruled  for  thirty  years, 
when  he  in  turn  was  succeeded  by  his  son,  Moham- 
med II.  The  great  ambition  of  this  prince  was  to 
make  Constantinople  his  capital.  For  fifty-three 
days  he  besieged  it,  and,  though  valiantly  defended 
by  seven  thousand  men,  it  was  unable  to  withstand 
his  terrible  assault.  In  May,  1453,  after  its  walls 
had  been  battered  by  the  cannon  of  the  besiegers, 
after  its  emperor  had  perished  fighting  by  the  side 
of  his  troops,  the  city  of  Constantine  fell ;  the 
cross  was  replaced  by  the  crescent,  and  the  church 
of  Hagia  Sophia  became  a  mosque.  From  then 
until  now,  Asia  Minor  has  remained  the  land  of  the 
Turks. 

So  it  appears  that,  unlike  other  parts  of  Asia, 
such  as  Assyria,  Persia,  and  China,  Asia  Minor, 
though  dominated  in  the  beginning  of  history  by 


24  ASIA  MINOR 

the  Hittites,  and  again  during  the  past  few  cen- 
turies by  Turkish  rulers,  has  never  given  birth  to 
any  great  empire  that  has  left  an  important  im- 
press on  the  civihzation  of  the  world.  So,  too, 
unlike  these  countries,  which  have  only  occasion- 
ally yielded  to  an  admixture  of  foreign  blood,  Asia 
Minor  has  received  complacently  adventurous 
colonists,  and  has  been  the  sport  of  every  return- 
ing tide  of  conquerors,  each  of  whom  has  engrafted 
something  on  the  native  stock,  so  that  what  re- 
mains is  but  the  fusion  of  different  branches  of  the 
Aryan,  Semitic,  and  Turanian  races. 

Yet  perhaps  this  ethnological  complex  only  adds 
to  the  fascination  of  the  study  of  its  people.  From 
the  intermarriage  of  these  different  branches  has 
frequently  resulted  offspring  dissimilar  to  their 
ancestors,  though  in  parts  of  ancient  Cappadocia 
the  thick-set  bodies  and  heavy  features  of  the  men 
betray  their  Hittite  origin  ;  a  race  of  almost  pure 
Seljukian  blood  dwell  in  the  district  of  Karaman ; 
Armenians  trade  in  every  city ;  and,  by  the  western 
shores,  the  uncovered  faces  of  fair  women  display 
their  Greek  parentage. 

Moreover,  some  of  these  people  have  left  monu- 
ments that  have  influenced  subsequent  art.  On 
rocks  near  Boghaz  Keui,  the  Hittites  carved 
symbols  which,  after  the  lapse  of  thirty  centuries, 
are  still  borne  on  the  escutcheons  of  great  nations. 
Not  unlikely  the  gates  of  Mycenae  have  a  proto- 
type in  a  stone  gate  in  the  walls  of  the  Phrygians. 
Equally  probable  is  it  that  the  architecture  of 


I 


I 


PHYSIOGRAPHY   AND   HISTORY       25 

ancient  Greece  may  have  borrowed  something 
from  the  houses,  theatres,  and  temples  which  rose 
in  so  many  cities  of  her  own  Asiatic  colonies. 

Whoever,  then,  wanders  over  the  hills  and 
plains  or  through  the  valleys  of  Asia  Minor 
mindful  of  its  past  history,  will  not  only  enjoy  its 
flowers,  its  fruits,  and  the  innumerable  forms  in 
which  nature  has  fashioned  with  deHcate  beauty, 
but  \\dll  receive  in  the  study  of  its  people,  and  in 
the  contemplation  of  its  ancient  ruins,  which  are 
endeared  by  both  classic  and  sacred  associations, 
an  ever  increasing  and  endless  delight. 


I 


CHAPTER  II 

THE    ASIATIC    SHORE    OF    THE    SEA    OF    MARMORA  : 
HEREKE,    BRUSSA 

A  T  the  beginning  of  spring,  I  stood  on 
/\  one  of  the  seven  hills  of  Stamboul, 
/  %  looking  across  the  Sea  of  Marmora  to 
Asia.  Most  of  Europe  remained  in 
the  grasp  of  winter ;  but  the  shores  of  the 
Bosphorus  were  responding  to  warm  sunshine  ; 
and  even  the  tall  cypresses  seemed  to  have  for- 
gotten their  sadness  as  they  put  forth  fresh 
leaves.  The  spell  of  the  great  capital  of  the 
Byzantines  and  Ottomans,  which  still  holds 
much  of  the  spirit  of  earlier  generations,  had 
completely  taken  possession  of  me,  so  that  it 
was  almost  regretfully  I  considered  crossing  even 
for  a  short  visit  to  the  imperial  factory  at  Hereke, 
on  the  eastern  shore,  before  making  a  greater 
plunge  into  the  heart  of  Asia  Minor. 

Early  in  the  morning,  accompanied  by  a  Greek, 
who  was  a  member  of  a  large  contracting  firm, 
I  reached  the  crowded  wharf  of  Galata.  As  we 
took  our  seat  on  the  upper  deck  of  the  small 
side-wheel  ferry-boat  that  regularly  traverses  the 
channel  from  shore  to  shore,  a  great  throng, 
•  26 


THE  ASIATIC  SHORE  27 

representing  the  people  of  a  dozen  nations,  was 
already  passing  over  the  bridge  which  connects 
the  former  city  of  the  Genoese  with  Stamboul. 
The  rattling  of  vehicles  and  the  lusty  cries  of 
men,  rising  above  the  throbbing,  rumbling  din 
of  the  city,  mingled  with  the  shrill  whistle  of 
approaching  and  departing  steamboats.  At  the 
mouth  of  the  Golden  Horn,  scores  of  slender 
caiques,  cushioned  and  carpeted,  gaily  painted 
barques  and  lateen-sail  craft,  glided  over  the 
waters  ;  yet  our  boat  skilfully  passed  between 
them,  and,  rounding  the  point  of  the  old  Seraglio, 
in  ten  minutes  reached  Haidar  Pasha.  Once 
this  town  was  only  an  Asiatic  village  of  a  few 
inhabitants  ;  now  it  is  the  important  terminus 
of  the  railway  which  extends  to  the  Cilician  Pass, 
and  will,  it  is  hoped,  soon  reach  Bagdad  and  the 
head  of  the  Persian  Gulf. 

In  the  spacious  station,  which  would  be  a  credit 
to  a  city  of  the  Occident,  we  ate  our  breakfast 
while  waiting  for  the  train  that  was  to  take  us 
to  Hereke.  It  was  the  regular  train  that  leaves 
each  morning  for  a  two  days'  journey  to  Konia, 
with  coaches  divided  into  compartments  not 
unlike  those  in  use  in  many  parts  of  Europe  and 
equally  comfortable.  Leaving  the  station,  we 
passed  the  cemetery  of  Scutari,  where  for  four 
centuries  the  remains  of  Turks  who  had  died  in 
Constantinople  were  conveyed  and  buried,  as  if 
with  the  feeling  that  in  Asia  was  their  native  soil. 
No  other  burial-place  of  the  Turkish  Empire  is  of 


28  ASIA  MINOR 

such  striking  appearance.  It  covers  in  area  a 
couple  of  square  miles,  extending  over  hilly  land 
which  on  the  west  faces  the  dome  of  Hagia  Sophia 
and  the  six  minarets  of  the  Achmet  mosque,  and 
on  the  south  the  Sea  of  Marmora.  Its  surface  is 
almost  completely  overgrown  with  a  forest  of 
cypresses,  which  attain  such  proportions  of  height 
and  circumference  as  are  rarely  seen  elsewhere  and 
add  immeasurably  to  its  dreariness.  And  yet  their 
sombre  green  and  their  dark  shadows  seem  to  have 
a  solace  for  the  Turks,  who  have  a  custom  of  plant- 
ing a  plane-tree  at  the  birth  of  a  child,  and  of 
placing  a  cypress  near  the  foot  of  the  grave  of  a 
relative. 

Thicker  even  than  the  cypresses  are  the  stones 
that  mark  the  head  of  the  graves.  Some  of  them 
were  brought  from  quarries  of  marble  on  the  isle 
of  Marmora,  which  rises  high  above  the  sea  at  a 
distance  of  eighty  miles  to  the  south-west.  It  has 
been  said  that  these  stones  were  shaped  to  suggest 
the  human  form ;  but  they  are  little  more  than  a 
shaft,  which  occasionally  is  without  either  inscrip- 
tion or  ornament.  The  upper  part  of  those  that 
stand  by  the  grave  of  a  man  are  usually  fashioned 
remotely  like  a  human  neck  and  head,  surmounted 
by  a  fez  or  turban  to  indicate  the  rank  of  the  de- 
ceased, and  the  graves  of  the  women  are  desig- 
nated by  a  less  conspicuous  stone,  on  which  may 
be  chiselled  a  rose  branch  or  a  lotus  leaf. 

The  credulous  people  of  Scutari  used  to  repeat 
an  old  tale  associated  with  this  burial  ground,  as 


THE  ASIATIC  SHORE  29 

full  of  poetry  as  of  superstition.  Flocks  of  birds, 
the  size  of  a  thrush  and  with  dark  plumage,  flew 
along  the  Bosphorus  from  sea  to  sea.  Each  month 
of  the  year,  heedless  of  the  movements  of  boats  or 
the  noise  of  sailors,  they  continued  their  flight. 
They  were  never  seen  to  eat,  and  rarely  seen  to 
rest  ;  but  when  a  storm  raged  on  the  Black  Sea, 
and  the  tumultuous  winds  whistled  unrelentingly 
through  the  channel  of  the  Bosphorus,  they  would 
seek  the  shelter  of  the  cypresses  and  fill  the  ceme- 
tery with  their  wild  cries.  So  the  legend  spread 
that  the  spirits  of  some  of  the  Mohammedans 
buried  there  had  found  no  peace  because  of 
crimes,  but,  shut  out  of  Paradise,  were  con- 
demned to  fly  unceasingly  above  the  waters  and 
utter  their  dismal  warning. 

The  road  to  Hereke  goes  at  first  by  the  Pilgrim's 
Plain,  where  caravans  of  Mohammedans,  number- 
ing tens  of  thousands,  gathered  each  year  to  begin 
their  long  march  to  Mecca.  It  passes  through  sub- 
urban villas,  where  a  few  of  the  wealthy  Turks 
have  well-built  houses  surrounded  by  gardens  of 
flowering  bushes  and  fruit  trees ;  then  follows  the 
beach  of  the  northern  shore  of  the  Sea  of  Marmora, 
within  sound  of  the  splash  of  the  waves,  in  view 
of  the  Princes  Islands,  once  called  the  Demon 
Islands.  The  one  nearest  to  the  Bosphorus  is 
Proti,  which  is  about  a  mile  in  length  ;  the  next 
is  Antigone,  of  about  the  same  size  ;  then  comes 
Halki,  nearly  twice  as  large  ;  and  Prinkipo,  largest 
of  all,  Hes  still  farther  to  the  east.    The  heights  of 


30  ASIA  MINOR 

these  islands  were  once  covered  with  pines,  some 
of  which  still  linger  ;  on  their  hills  grew  myrtle, 
cistus,  and  arbutus.  Monasteries  also  flourished 
there  long  ago.  One  of  them  was  built  by  the  wife 
of  the  Emperor  Leo,  the  brilhant  Irene,  in  whom 
pious  devotion  was  so  strangely  blended  with 
horrible  cruelty,  and  who  for  a  short  time  was 
exiled  there,  in  sight  of  the  capital  where  she  had 
firmly  ruled  in  the  hours  of  her  industry,  and  where 
she  had  driven  her  golden  chariot  harnessed  to 
four  white  steeds  by  way  of  diversion.  When 
Mohammed  took  Constantinople,  he  set  apart 
these  islands  for  the  Greeks,  whose  descendants 
still  inhabit  them,  some  living  in  little  villas  of 
picturesque  homes  embowered  in  vines  and  trees, 
others  dwelling  in  stately  cream-coloured  houses, 
which  extend  from  the  water's  edge  half-way  to 
the  top.  Viewed  from  the  road  to  Hereke  on  this 
fair  day  in  spring,  these  islands  seemed  like 
emerald  jewels  on  a  surface  of  sparkling  waters. 
Between  them,  and  in  the  distance,  the  white  sails 
of  boats  were  flitting,  and  beyond  the  nearer  hills 
to  the  south  Mt.  Olympus  lifted  its  snow-crowned 
crest. 

Here  and  there,  for  short  distances,  the  road 
turns  aside  from  the  beach  and  winds  among 
homes  partly  shaded  by  pines  and  cypresses,  as 
well  as  by  a  few  spruce,  magnolia,  and  eucalypti. 
There  are  also  orchards  where  the  pink  blossoms 
of  the  almond  blend  with  the  silvery  green  leaves 
of  the  olive  and  the  light-coloured  trunks  of  the 


THE    ASIATIC  SHORE  31 

big-leafed  fig.  Some  of  the  houses  are  of  one 
story,  some  of  two  stories,  and  many  of  them  are 
of  unpainted  wood,  now  turned  by  exposure  to  a 
dark  brown  hue ;  but  their  roofs  are  a  dull  red, 
the  colour  of  the  tiles,  which  if  old  are  round,  but 
if  modern  are  almost  fiat. 

The  soil  shows  diversity.  Some  of  it  is  poor  and 
shallow,  resting,  as  appears  in  railroad  cuts,  on 
rock  resembling  metamorphic  sandstone.  On  such 
soil  we  could  see  that  the  olive-trees  bore  few 
olives ;  and,  over  most  of  it,  brown  sheep  with  huge 
tails  were  feeding  among  daisies  and  other  com- 
positae.  In  a  few  districts,  on  the  other  hand,  there 
were  depressions  or  little  valleys  containing  a  rich 
dark  loam,  where  men  were  ploughing  with  black 
oxen,  and  where  a  few  months  later  would  appear 
rich  harvests. 

For  long  stretches  the  road  follows  the  side  of 
low  hills,  so  near  to  the  sea  that  the  play  of  waves 
against  the  beach,  and  even  the  pebbles  that  lie 
a  dozen  feet  beneath  the  clear  green  waters,  are 
distinctly  seen.  Again,  it  passes  through  short 
tunnels  that  bring  at  their  opening  a  kaleidoscopic 
change  of  pictures  :  the  sail  of  a  fisherman's  boat 
projected  against  blue  mountains,  a  little  hamlet 
of  rural  simplicity,  and  tranquil  dells  spangled 
with  flowers.  Some  of  the  hills  a  few  miles  west 
of  Hereke  are  of  limestone,  lying  so  near  the  sur- 
face that  the  cultivation  is  sparse,  and  at  one  place 
by  the  road  a  factory  has  been  built  to  convert 
the  rock  into  cement. 


32  ASIA  MINOR 

The  village  of  Hereke  is  situated  about  twenty 
miles  to  the  west  of  the  head  of  the  Gulf  of  Ismid, 
the  name  given  to  this  part  of  the  Sea  of  Marmora. 
It  occupies  a  low,  narrow  space  between  the  water 
and  the  mountains,  and  also  part  of  a  ravine  that 
has  been  widened  by  the  constant  erosion  of  a 
stream.  Its  area  is  so  restricted  that  probably  it 
never  would  have  held  more  than  a  little  village 
of  the  few  score  men  who  are  engaged  in  fishing, 
and  the  husbandmen  who  cultivate  vineyards 
close  by,  if  the  Government  had  not  established 
there  a  factory  which  employs  large  numbers  of 
girls  in  weaving. 

My  companion  told  me  the  factory  was  two 
centuries  old.  It  may  be  even  older,  as  it  is  known 
that  Soliman  the  Magnificent,  after  capturing 
Tabriz  in  1534,  brought  Persian  weavers  to  Asia 
Minor  to  instruct  his  own  people,  and  the  Turkish 
Government  has  ever  since  encouraged  the  in- 
dustry of  weaving.  The  grounds  of  the  factory 
cover  about  fifteen  acres  of  land,  on  which  are 
erected  a  num-ber  of  substantial  buildings  for 
making  cloth,  silks,  and  brocades,  as  well  as  the 
red  fezes  of  the  Turks.  One  of  the  buildings  con- 
tains a  very  large  number  of  looms,  some  with  a 
breadth  of  even  thirty-five  or  forty  feet,  on  which 
are  woven  silk  rugs  of  fine  texture,  and  coarser 
woollen  rugs  that  have  long  nap  and  follow 
patterns  designed  to  please  Occidental  buyers. 
Two  of  the  rugs  on  the  looms  at  the  time  of  our 
visit  were  copies  of  the  famous  carpet  of  Ardebil, 


\ 


%. 


Al     TllK    IMI'KKIAI.    I  A(    I  OKY    AT    IIKKKKK 


THE  ASIATIC  SHORE  33 

woven  nearly  four  centuries  ago  for  Shah  Tamasp, 
and  now  hanging  in  the  South  Kensington  Museum. 
The  weavers  are  mostly  Greek  girls,  rarely  over 
fifteen  years  of  age,  and  some  are  only  five  or  six 
years  old.  During  long,  weary  hours  even  the 
youngest  tie  the  knots,  one  by  one,  with  wonder- 
ful deftness ;  yet  all  of  them  seemed  happy ;  some 
were  smiling,  some  singing,  as  they  worked. 

Perhaps  the  reason  for  much  of  their  happiness 
is  the  pleasing  beauty  of  their  surroundings,  which 
are  in  strong  contrast  to  the  small  dark  rooms 
and  the  unattractive  towns  where  so  many  other 
weavers  of  Asia  Minor  work  and  live.  The  build- 
ing containing  the  looms  is  approached  by  a  large 
sunny  court  to  the  west  of  the  mountain  stream 
that  divides  the  grounds  of  the  factory.  This 
stream  passes  under  a  bridge  and,  gliding  between 
moss-covered  stone  walls  which  are  shaded  with 
trees  and  a  tangle  of  vines  and  plants,  falls  in  two 
gentle  cascades,  then,  swirling  around  a  little 
island  of  flowers,  ripples  over  the  pebbles  of  the 
beach.  On  the  eastern  side  of  the  stream  a  low 
stone  house,  surrounded  by  fruit  trees  and  flower- 
ing shrubs  and  plants,  is  used  as  a  laboratory  for 
the  chemist  who  supervises  the  dyes  ;  and,  in  a 
garden  close  beside  it,  a  small  mosque  lies  half 
hidden  beneath  plane-trees. 

From  the  mosque  we  crossed  a  little  plaza  to  a 
low  though  stately  pavilion  on  the  beach,  and  saw 
where  the  directors  consider  old  patterns  and  new 
dyes,  or  perhaps  sip  their  coffee  and  smoke  their 


34  ASIA  MINOR 

chibouques  as  they  sit  on  luxurious  divans  and 
Hsten  to  the  splash  of  the  waves.  We  wandered 
along  an  almost  spotlessly  clean  street,  paved  with 
smooth  stones  and  shaded  with  poplars,  and, 
passing  from  the  grounds  of  the  factory  between 
tall  houses  in  which  the  young  girls  have  their 
dormitories,  came  at  length  to  the  simple  dwellings 
where  the  men  of  the  village,  those  who  fish  in  the 
gulf  and  those  who  husband  the  vines,  live  in 
tranquil  ignorance  of  the  great  tired  world  beyond. 

This  part  of  the  Sea  of  Marmora  is  like  an  elon- 
gated basin  enclosed  by  mountains,  which  on  the 
southern  side,  opposite  Hereke,  rise  to  the  greater 
height.  Some  of  the  ridges  are  probably  not  less 
than  four  thousand  feet,  and  appear  even  higher 
as  they  tower  above  the  white  lines  of  little 
villages  that  are  scattered  along  the  edge  of  the 
shore.  The  bold  contour  of  these  mountains,  the 
clear  light,  the  changing  colours  of  the  pellucid 
waters,  bear  a  close  resemblance  to  similar  features 
along  the  beautiful  shores  of  the  Gulf  of  Corinth. 

As  we  returned  in  the  afternoon  to  Constanti- 
nople, the  scenes  we  witnessed  in  the  morning 
seemed  vested  with  even  greater  charm.  At  one 
moment  we  traversed  a  valley  studded  with  olive- 
trees,  which  looked  as  peaceful  as  some  pasture  in 
Arcadia  ;  at  another  we  passed  the  remains  of  a 
deserted  castle  standing  like  a  lonely  sentinel  on  a 
cliff ;  again,  we  wound  along  hill-sides  overlooking 
the  gulf,  where  we  could  see  waves  tipped  with 
foam  breaking  on  the  beach  below.     Near  the 


THE  ASIATIC  SHORE  35 

shore  the  water  was  the  colour  of  emerald  ;  out 
in  the  channel  it  appeared  an  indigo,  almost 
solemn  in  the  shadows  of  the  clouds  that  hung 
above  it  and  over  the  purple  range  of  the  farther 
shore.  The  upper  edges  of  the  clouds  were  billows 
of  radiant  white,  dazzling  in  the  sun  ;  below  them 
were  patches  of  azure  streaked  with  the  thin  veils 
of  other  clouds.  And  in  the  distance  far  beyond 
the  nearer  ridge,  the  snow-covered  mountain  of 
Olympus,  whose  crest  of  glittering  light  was  melt- 
ing softly  into  blue  shadows,  lay,  in  its  serenity 
and  immobility,  like  a  great  marble  sepulchre  of 
the  past. 

The  most  interesting  and  picturesque  place  near 
the  Asiatic  shore  of  the  Sea  of  Marmora  is  the  city  of 
Brussa,  at  the  base  of  Mt.  Olympus.  For  more  than 
a  century  it  was  the  capital  of  the  earliest  Ottoman 
sultans,  each  of  whom  participated  in  the  erection 
of  notable  mosques,  as  well  as  imposing  sepulchres 
in  which  their  remains  were  finally  placed. 

The  journey  from  Constantinople  to  Brussa  is 
made  by  small  but  comfortable  steamers,  which 
land  the  passengers  at  Mudania,  about  fifty  miles 
away  on  the  southern  shore  of  the  Sea  of  Mar- 
mora, and  then  by  a  railway.  Both  officers  and 
employes  are  Turks,  who,  as  a  rule,  speak  neither 
English  nor  French  ;  but,  since  many  of  the 
travellers  to  Brussa  speak  Greek,  I  was  fortunate 
in  having  as  my  companion  an  English  student 
of  archaeology  who  had  lived  in  Greece,  and  so  was 


36  ASIA  MINOR 

able  to  make  known  our  few  wants.  We  left  the 
capital  at  an  early  hour,  when  the  air  was  so  still 
that  the  smoke  from  the  engines  trailed  in  a  long 
line  above  the  wake  of  the  boat ;  and,  as  we  passed 
a  few  miles  to  the  west  of  the  Princes  Islands, 
scarcely  a  ripple  stirred  the  surface  of  the  water. 
Midway  across  the  sea,  the  only  visible  signs  of 
life,  apart  from  those  aboard,  were  a  few  seagulls 
following  us,  some  ducks  flying  northward,  and  a 
school  of  porpoises  that  sportively  turned  half 
somersaults  in  the  air.  Even  the  passengers 
seemed  inclined  to  langour,  for  the  day  was  warm  ; 
while  the  dull  pulsing  of  the  engines,  and  the  con- 
fused blending  of  the  voices  of  passengers,  which 
seemed  suppressed  as  if  affected  by  the  contagion 
of  the  prevailing  tranquillity,  soothed  the  senses 
like  the  drowsy  hum  of  insects. 

Beyond  the  Gulf  of  Ismid,  our  boat  rounded  a 
high  promontory,  whose  southern  side  is  covered 
with  vineyards  and  fields  of  mulberry- trees,  and 
approached  a  little  village  of  well-built  houses, 
two  and  three  stories  high,  that  stand  at  the 
water's  edge.  Passing  between  lateen-sail  fe- 
luccas and  numerous  smaller  craft  that  glided 
over  the  waves,  we  anchored  before  a  wide,  smooth 
beach,  where  a  number  of  people  had  gathered  to 
watch  the  arrival  of  the  steamer  with  an  interest 
unsatiated  by  its  daily  occurrence. 

From  this  pretty  village,  so  characteristic  of 
many  others  along  these  shores,  the  distance  is 
but  a  few  miles  across  the  opening  of  a  well- 


THE  ASIATIC  SHORE  37 

sheltered  bay  to  Mudania,  the  principal  port  of  a 
fertile  district  extending  far  to  the  south  and  east. 
From  its  long  wharf  the  railway  passes  by 
warehouses,  and,  at  once  entering  the  hills,  winds 
with  constantly  ascending  grade  along  their  sides 
so  as  to  afford  pleasing  views  of  the  valleys  below 
and  the  receding  sea.  At  last  it  crosses  a  divide 
to  a  much  larger  valley  extending  to  the  foot  of 
the  Olympic  mountains. 

The  country  increases  in  beauty  as  it  extends 
from  the  sea.  Near  Mudania  are  low  round  hills 
planted  largely  with  olives  ;  farther  inland,  where 
the  hills  rise  higher,  they  are  covered  with  mul- 
berries, which  in  the  spring  of  the  year  bear  leaves 
of  an  exquisite  soft  green  with  a  slightly  yellowish 
tint,  as  suggestive  of  hope  as  the  silvery  green  of 
the  olive  is  of  peace.  In  many  places  tall,  slender 
poplars  like  the  Lombardy,  with  a  nearly  cream- 
white  bark,  separate  the  farms  from  one  another ; 
and  in  the  villages  they  partly  conceal  low  stone 
houses  with  red-tiled  roofs,  stained  with  age. 
When  the  divide  is  reached,  a  scene  of  greater 
beauty  opens  to  the  south.  A  little  below  are 
numerous  hamlets  in  a  rich,  well-watered  valley, 
where  peasants  toil  in  the  orchards  or  plough  the 
open  fields  with  black  oxen.  Well-defined  roads 
wind  through  the  valley  and  over  ancient  bridges 
to  the  city  of  a  hundred  minarets,  the  ancient 
capital  of  the  Ottomans,  which  lies  half  hidden  in 
the  dense,  dark  foliage  of  rugged  ridges  that  climb 
to  a  summit  of  dazzling  snow.    At  the  time  of  our 


38  ASIA  MINOR 

visit  the  land  was  refreshed  by  the  passing  of 
snow-melted  waters  ;  it  was  enveloped  in  an  at- 
mosphere fragrant  with  blossoms,  with  the  smell 
of  aromatic  plants,  yet  soothing,  as  it  induced  the 
peaceful  langour  peculiar  to  the  Orient. 

It  would  not  be  unreasonable  to  beheve  that  the 
site  of  Brussa  has  been  occupied  by  people  since 
a  very  remote  period.  According  to  legend,  the 
foundations  of  the  city  were  planned  by  Hannibal 
in  220  B.C.,  as  a  token  of  appreciation  for  the  hospi- 
tality he  had  received  after  taking  refuge  at  the 
court  of  Prusias  in  Bithynia.  It  was  then  named 
Prusa  after  the  reigning  king.  Much  later  it 
became  a  city  of  the  Byzantines  ;  but  in  1326  a.d. 
it  was  captured,  after  a  severe  siege,  by  Orchan, 
and  was  at  once  made  the  capital  of  the  Ottoman 
Empire.  Here  for  a  century  and  a  quarter  the 
Turkish  sultans  ruled.  Yet  it  was  still  subject  to 
changing  fortune  :  it  was  pillaged  by  the  ruthless 
Tartars  of  Tamerlane  after  they  had  defeated 
Bajazet,  and  a  little  later  was  besieged  by  the 
sultan  of  Iconium.  It  has  also  been  the  sport  of 
conflagrations  and  earthquakes,  which  have  de- 
stroyed most  of  the  city,  though  nothing  seems  to 
efface  its  picturesque  beauty. 

These  changes  in  its  history  have  been  denoted 
by  an  ebb  and  flow  in  the  tide  of  its  population. 
At  the  time  of  the  fall  of  Constantinople  it  had 
100,000  inhabitants  ;  during  the  first  half  of  the 
nineteenth  century  they  had  decreased  to  35,000  ; 
now  again  there  are  over  100,000,  two-thirds  of 


THE  ASIATIC  SHORE  39 

whom  are  Turks,  and  the  remainder  Jews,  Greeks, 
and  Armenians. 

The  main  axis  of  Brussa,  which  is  nearly  twice 
as  long  as  broad,  extends  from  north-west  to 
south-east  parallel  with  the  mountain  system 
behind  it ;  and  the  main  thoroughfare  of  the  city 
follows  to  a  large  extent  the  same  direction,  as- 
cending gradually  to  the  south-east.  Most  of  the 
other  streets  are  as  irregular  as  the  crackle  of  old 
Chinese  porcelain.  They  run  in  all  directions,  but 
generally  terminate  at  the  precipitous  sides  of 
deep  ravines  at  each  end  of  the  city,  which  carry 
from  the  mountains  to  the  valley  streams  that  in 
the  winter  and  spring  are  often  torrential. 

The  principal  station  is  in  the  valley  near  the 
north-easterly  part  of  the  city  ;  but  my  companion 
and  I  left  the  train  at  a  more  convenient  station 
near  where  the  waters  of  the  more  westerly  of  the 
ravines  flow  into  the  valley.  We  drove  along  a 
stone-paved  road  past  Jewish  and  Greek  ceme- 
teries that  occupy  small  plots  of  land,  lying  not 
within  the  city,  like  the  Mohammedan  burial  places, 
but  in  the  country  beyond  it,  as  if  outlawed.  Con- 
tinuing, we  approached  near  to  the  two-domed 
mosque  of  Murad  II,  which  gives  its  name  to  the 
surrounding  quarter  ;  then  turned  to  the  left,  and, 
crossing  a  bridge  over  the  ravine,  arrived  at  the 
Hotel  d'Anatolie. 

From  the  recollections  of  some  of  the  other 
places  it  was  my  fortune  to  visit  while  in  Asia 
Minor,  where  hunger  was  often  satisfied  only  by 


40  ASIA  MINOR 

accepting  what  the  palate  disdained,  where  sleep 
was  often  disturbed  by  the  attentions  of  ruthless 
intruders  too  small  and  nimble  to  be  caught,  it  is 
a  pleasure  to  turn  the  thoughts  to  the  clean  though 
simple  apartments  and  the  wholesome  fare  of  this 
unpretentious  hotel,  and  to  the  delightful  evenings 
when,  after  a  day's  tramp,  we  sat  on  the  veranda 
near  the  gardens,  sensitive  to  the  mysterious  in- 
toxication of  the  Orient,  listening  to  the  falling 
waters  of  the  fountain,  and  inhaling  the  sweet 
fragrance  of  flowers. 

Brussa  enjoys  two  advantages  over  most  Turkish 
cities  :  it  has  an  abundance  of  clear,  cool  water  ; 
it  is  well  shaded.  In  many  parts  of  Asia  Minor 
but  little  rain  falls  during  most  of  the  year  ;  but  to 
Brussa  this  is  no  misfortune.  When  the  rains  of 
winter  are  over,  the  lower  banks  of  the  eternal 
snows  of  Olympus  begin  to  melt  and  send  down 
streams  of  pure,  limpid  water.  Most  of  it  passes 
like  torrents  through  the  ravines  to  enter  the 
valley  below  and  add  to  its  fertility.  Part  of  it  is 
conducted  through  the  city  to  the  houses,  mosques, 
and  public  fountains.  And  such  is  its  abundance 
that  the  better  homes  of  the  city  have  their  own 
small  rivulets  and  fountains,  which  impart  a 
delicious  freshness  and  coolness,  even  in  the 
hottest  summer. 

It  is  partly  as  a  consequence  of  this  abundance 
of  water,  and  also  because  Brussa  is  on  the  north 
side  of  a  high  mountain,  that  the  vegetation  is  in 
places  so  dense  and  rank.     In  the  upper  part  of 


THE    GOLDEN    HOK.N 


THE  ASIATIC  SHORE  41 

the  city,  where  some  of  the  houses  are  on  the  side 
of  acclivities,  plants  and  shrubs  grow  wild  ;  in 
other  parts,  tangled  vines  chmb  over  crumbling 
walls,  while  in  gardens  and  open  places  trees 
flourish  with  slight  provocation.  Before  the  Oulou 
mosque,  in  the  centre  of  the  city,  there  are  vener- 
able plane-trees  with  enormous  trunks,  looking  as 
if  they  had  been  buffeted  by  the  storms  of  cen- 
turies, and  others  grow  in  almost  every  street. 
They  are  one  of  the  favourite  trees  of  Asia  Minor, 
and  in  most  places  have  doubtless  grown  spon- 
taneously ;  but  a  feature  rarely  seen  elsewhere, 
and  the  result  of  forethought,  are  the  grape  vines 
which  have  been  planted  at  the  sides  of  the  streets 
near  the  bazaar,  and,  cUmbing  to  a  height  of  about 
twelve  feet,  have  spread  completely  across  them. 
It  is  said  the  Koran  forbids  the  drinking  of  wine ; 
but  doubtless  many  a  Mussulman  seated  in  the 
shade  of  these  arbours  in  the  heat  of  summer, 
sipping  his  sherbet  cooled  by  frozen  snow,  has 
breathed  a  blessing  to  the  vine. 

The  banks  of  the  ravine,  where  the  stream  has 
cut  a  channel  as  deep  as  it  is  wide  some  thirty  rods 
to  the  south-east  of  the  Konak,  or  Government 
building,  are  also  densely  covered  with  vegetation. 
Now  and  then  during  winter  the  stream  becomes 
a  roaring  torrent,  although  in  the  late  spring,  when 
the  rains  are  nearly  over,  most  of  the  bed  of  the 
ravine  lies  uncovered,  showing  huge  rounded 
boulders  that  the  rush  of  waters  has  brought  from 
the  mountains  above.    But  neither  the  impetuous 


42  ASIA  MINOR 

flow  of  water  nor  the  debris  has  prevented  native 
trees  taking  root  in  the  steep  banks,  where  their 
dark  green  foHage  blends  with  a  riot  of  vines  and 
flowering  shrubs  and  bushes. 

Because  of  the  perplexing  irregularity  of  most 
of  the  streets  near  the  heart  of  the  city,  we  often 
found  it  much  simpler  to  follow  the  main  one  as 
near  as  possible  to  the  place  we  were  seeking, 
rather  than  take  a  more  direct  course  and  get  lost 
in  a  labyrinth.  This  main  street  has  gutters  at 
each  side,  and  is  paved  with  stones,  which  the 
tramping  of  horses  and  the  jarring  of  carts  have 
worn  smooth,  so  that  walking  over  them  was  pre- 
ferable to  stumbling  over  the  rounder  stones  of  the 
narrow,  slightly  elevated  pavement.  Many  of  the 
smaller  streets  are  without  pavement  and,  in  place  of 
having  gutters,  incline  from  each  side  to  the  centre. 
Some  of  them  terminate  in  blind  alleys  or  against 
a  high  wall ;  some  lead  to  interesting  quarters. 

Almost  in  the  centre  of  the  city,  within  call  of 
the  muezzin  of  the  Oulou  mosque,  there  is  an  open- 
ing about  half  an  acre  in  size,  which  is  paved  with 
stones,  shaded  by  large  plane-trees  that  cast  a 
delicate  pattern  of  shadows  on  the  ground,  and 
surrounded  by  low  houses  with  slanting  tiled  roofs. 
These  houses  are  used  partly  as  dwellings,  partly 
as  shops  of  half -industrious  men.  At  one  of  them 
the  Turk  can  buy  meat,  beneath  the  projecting 
roof  of  another  he  can  sip  small  cups  of  coffee, 
and  before  another  he  can  smoke  his  narghileh 
while  playing  dominoes.    Under  one  of  the  plane- 


THE  ASIATIC  SHORE  43 

trees,  to  which  is  attached  an  old-fashioned 
municipal  lamp  shade,  is  a  large  stone  basin,  nicked 
and  moss-covered,  where  animals  drink  and  men 
wash  their  hands.  Here  and  there  pigs  dihgently 
hunt  for  refuse,  and  dogs,  cats,  and  storks  cultivate 
the  goodwill  of  the  butcher.  The  scene  is  not  one 
of  beauty,  but  is  one  of  those  interesting  bits  of 
simple  Oriental  life  that  is  most  characteristic  of 
Asia. 

The  bazaar  is  about  a  hundred  yards  to  the 
north.  Though  it  bears  no  comparison  in  size  or 
in  attractive  display  of  wares  to  the  great  bazaars 
of  Stamboul  and  Tabriz,  though  it  lacks  much 
of  the  mystery  fostered  by  their  dull  light,  it 
discharges  similar  functions  in  the  domestic  life 
of  the  people.  The  accumulated  length  of  its 
passages,  lined  on  both  sides  by  innumerable 
small  booths  and  covered  by  a  roofing,  probably 
does  not  much  exceed  a  quarter  of  a  mile  ;  but,  as 
is  the  case  in  all  Turkish  towns,  adjacent  portions 
of  streets  that  approach  it  are  used  for  similar 
purposes.  Within  this  restricted  space,  keen-eyed 
Turks,  Greeks,  and  Armenians  display  almost 
every  commodity  produced  in  the  district,  and 
also  many  foreign  articles,  old  and  new.  People 
of  all  classes — tawny-complexioned  peasants,  and 
veiled  women  whose  daintily-shaped  feet  betray 
their  parentage — come  here  to  bargain  and  buy, 
for  the  prices  are  generally  less  than  in  the  larger 
stores  in  the  main  street. 

Some  of  the  dwellings  are  of  only  one  story,  but 


44  ASIA  MINOR 

the  great  majority  are  of  two  or  evenre  the  stories. 
In  the  business  section  of  the  city,  the  lower  part 
facing  the  street  is  generally  used  as  a  shop,  while 
the  rear  and  the  upper  story  contain  hving-rooms. 
One  of  the  most  interesting  features  of  these 
Turkish  houses  is  the  projecting  window,  where 
the  women  of  the  Orient,  whose  minds  have  not 
yet  responded  to  modern  culture,  spend  many  of 
their  leisure  moments  gazing  into  the  street.  If 
the  house  is  occupied  by  a  Greek,  the  windows  are 
protected  simply  by  blinds  or  curtains  ;  but,  if  it 
is  the  home  of  a  Turk,  they  are  covered  with  lattice 
work,  which  conceals  the  members  of  the  harem — 
a  wife,  daughters,  and  occasionally  an  odahsque 
— without  obstructing  their  observation.  Fre- 
quently, when  wandering  along  some  street,  study- 
ing the  graceful  lines  of  a  minaret  or  some  delicately 
carved  stonework,  we  heard  unexpectedly  the 
murmur  of  soft  voices  ;  and  looking  up  discovered 
overhead  a  lattice  window,  behind  which  perhaps 
some  fair  beauty  was  concealed. 

A  little  to  the  west  of  the  centre  of  the  city,  a 
steep  street  climbs  to  the  quarter  known  by  the 
Turks  as  Hissar-Itchi,  or  the  Citadel.  It  occupies 
about  twenty-four  acres  of  comparatively  flat  land, 
extending  like  a  bench  from  the  mountains  to  an 
almost  precipitous  front,  one  hundred  yards  to  the 
rear  of  the  Hotel  d'Anatolie  ;  and  at  its  eastern 
and  western  sides,  terminates  in  steep  declivities. 
The  walls  that  partly  surround  it  rest  on  an  old 
foundation,  which  probably  represents  what  re- 


THE  ASIATIC  SHORE  45 

mains  of  an  ancient  city  pre -dating  the  Christian 
era,  but  were  themselves  built  much  later,  and, 
though  frequently  repaired,  are  now  rapidly  dis- 
appearing. From  no  other  place  can  a  more  ex- 
cellent panorama  of  the  city  and  valley  be  ob- 
tained, since  almost  every  place  of  consequence  is 
visible.  The  suburb  of  Tchekirgueh,  renowned 
from  classic  times  for  its  baths,  to  the  north-west  ; 
the  military  school,  among  the  hills  to  the  south- 
east ;  the  stalls  of  the  bazaar,  surrounded  by  a 
disarray  of  red  roofs,  a  score  of  rods  to  the  right ; 
and  the  dark  sad  cypresses  of  the  Turkish  ceme- 
tery, directly  behind — these  are  some  of  the  objects 
that  appear  beyond  and  among  less  conspicuous 
buildings,  over  which  in  every  direction  rise  the 
white,  arrow-like  minarets,  pointing  to  the  places 
of  the  m.osques. 

Few,  if  any,  other  religious  sects  are  so  punctil- 
ious as  the  Moslems  in  their  acts  of  religious  devo- 
tion. They  offer  their  prayers  daily  at  fixed  hours, 
that  their  feelings  may  be  united  in  simultaneous 
outpouring  of  thanksgiving  and  petition.  This 
was  the  wish  of  the  followers  of  Mohammed,  who 
long  debated  over  the  selection  of  the  means  by 
which  the  attention  of  their  people  should  be  at- 
tracted at  the  exact  hour,  since  everything  sug- 
gestive of  the  practices  of  other  religions  was  to  be 
avoided.  At  length  one  night,  according  to  tra- 
dition, a  being  clothed  in  green  appeared  in  a 
vision  to  one  of  the  elders,  and  mounting  to  the 
housetop  lifted  his  voice  in  a  ringing  call  to  prayer. 


46  ASIA  MINOR 

This  vision  was  accepted  as  a  messenger  from 
Allah .  So,  ever  since,  the  muezzin  appeared  on  the 
roof  of  the  mosques,  until  towers  were  erected, 
with  balconies,  from  which  his  weird  solemn  chant, 
undisturbed  by  conflicting  waves  of  noise  in  the 
city  below,  and  vibrating  with  intensity,  is  borne 
through  the  air  and  stills  the  souls  of  men.  But 
the  towers  are  not  alone  objects  of  utility.  Re- 
move from  stately  mosques  the  single  feature  of 
the  minaret  and,  though  their  splendour  remains, 
you  have  taken  away  the  architectural  effect  and 
destroyed  one  of  the  most  pleasing  charms.  Even 
if  there  be  only  one  rising  above  the  roof  and  the 
encircling  trees,  the  delicacy  of  the  slender  column 
with  the  graceful  balcony  near  the  top  accentuates 
the  majestic  proportions  of  the  rest.  Some,  more- 
over, such  as  the  best  that  were  built  by  the  Sel- 
juks,  with  geometric  patterns  and  coloured  tiles, 
were  objects  of  beauty  even  when  regarded  in- 
dependently of  the  adjacent  structures. 

Some  one  has  said  Brussa  contains  two  hundred 
mosques  ;  another,  that  there  are  upwards  of  six 
hundred.  Evidently  there  are  too  many  to  be 
accurately  counted.  Most  of  them  are  small,  with 
only  the  suggestion  of  a  minaret  or  none  at  all, 
with  little  more  than  a  room  where  the  Moslems 
come  to  enter  into  the  presence  of  the  Spirit  of 
Allah.  A  few  are  almost  as  simple  as  the  earliest 
mosques,  which  because  of  the  almost  entire  ab- 
sence of  Mohammedan  ritual  consisted  of  a  court- 
yard partly  shaded  with  palm  branches,  or  a  court 


THE  ASIATIC  SHORE  47 

surrounded  by  a  cloister,  and  covered  only  at  the 
end  where  the  mihrab  was  placed. 

Of  these  innumerable  mosques,  almost  all  are 
modern  and  of  sUght  interest.  But  those  erected 
by  the  five  sultans  who  in  succession  made  Brussa 
their  capital  before  it  was  transferred  to  Constan- 
tinople, though  racked  by  many  earthquakes,  are 
still  imposing  examples  of  Oriental  splendour,  for 
each  follows  to  some  extent  a  style  of  architecture 
that  the  Ottomans  had  acquired  from  the  Seljuks, 
and  they  in  turn  from  the  Persians.  None  of  them 
are  now  open  to  worshippers,  so  that  before  we  could 
gain  admission  it  was  necessary  to  have  written 
permission  from  the  city  officials.  This,  however, 
was  readily  obtained  on  the  presentation  of  our 
passports  ;  and  the  guardians,  when  once  awak- 
ened from  their  reveries,  readily  opened  the  doors 
as  they  silently  ruminated  over  the  prospect  of 
baksheesh. 

The  oldest  mosque,  located  near  the  centre  of 
the  city,  was  built  by  Orchan,  who  took  Brussa 
from  the  Greeks.  The  original  structure  has  been 
almost  entirely  rebuilt  ;  but  two  of  its  marble 
columns,  which  have  octagonal  shafts  surmounted 
by  delicately  carved  Byzantine  capitals,  still  re- 
main as  an  evidence  of  Orchan's  appreciation  of 
the  art  of  the  conquered. 

The  mosque  of  Murad  I  (1359-89),  the  second 
oldest,  which  lies  in  the  suburb  of  Tchekirgueh  to 
the  north-west  of  the  city,  has  been  termed  "  the 
most  beautiful  mosque  of  Brussa."     UnUkc  the 


48  ASIA  MINOR 

other  mosques,  it  contains  within  the  same  struc- 
ture a  medrissa,  a  shaded  cloister  where  sons  of 
the  conquerors  studied  the  ethics  of  the  Koran. 
It,  also,  is  the  work  of  a  Byzantine  architect ;  yet 
here  and  there  appear  traces  of  Islam  art. 

The  succeeding  sultan,  Ilderim  Bajazet  (1389- 
1403),  laid  the  foundations  of  a  mosque  at  the 
north-eastern  end  of  the  city,  and  partly  com- 
pleted it  before  his  capture  by  Tamerlane.  Stalac- 
tite ornamentation  was  largely  employed  in  the 
interior  decoration  for  the  first  time,  and  the 
carving  of  the  marbles  had  a  delicacy  unexcelled 
in  any  other  mosque  of  the  city.  Now  most  of  its 
former  beauty  has  been  destroyed  ;  yet  even  in 
its  decay  it  represents  a  notable  conception  of 
ideal  thought. 

The  largest  mosque  of  Brussa  is  the  Oulou  Jami, 
which  was  begun  by  Murad  about  1379,  continued 
by  Bajazet,  and  completed  by  Mohammed  I  in 
1421.  It  is  in  the  heart  of  the  city,  not  far  from 
the  bazaar.  Probably  because  of  this  convenient 
location,  inviting  the  approach  of  every  passer-by,  it 
has  lost  the  charm  of  partial  seclusion.  The  open 
court  before  the  principal  entrance  has  been 
neglected  :  there  are  neither  plots  of  grass,  nor 
bushes  of  flowers,  nor  rows  of  cypresses — simply 
a  plane-tree,  venerable  and  rent  by  countless 
storms.  In  vain  would  a  Mussulman  search  this 
court  for  the  accustomed  fountain  at  which  to 
wash  his  hands  and  feet  before  entering  for  prayer, 
for  it  is  not  without,  as  is  usually  the  case,  but 


5RUSSA    KROM    THE    VESHIl.    lAMI 


\^\  ''""t:    MAIN    JjlKEliT    Ol'    liKLbSA 


THE  ASIATIC  SHORE  49 

almost  in  the  centre  of  the  mosque,  where  it  is 
separated  from  the  surrounding  space  by  a  low 
railing.  Its  large  stone  basin  with  a  central  column 
supporting  a  series  of  smaller  carved  basins,  from 
which  the  water  pours  in  jets  to  fill  the  one  below, 
is  the  first  object  to  attract  the  eye  from  the  main 
entrance.  The  mihrab,  which  is  invariably  placed 
so  that  the  bending  suppliants  shall  face  Mecca,  is 
in  the  wall  beyond  it  ;  while  a  mimbar  of  wonder- 
fully carved  woodwork  is  at  one. side.  Viewed 
from  any  eminence  about  Brussa,  this  mosque  is 
one  of  the  most  conspicuous  objects  below,  not 
only  on  account  of  its  size  and  the  heights  of  its 
minarets,  but  because  in  place  of  one  large  dome 
surmounting  the  roof  there  is  a  cluster  of  twenty 
small  domes,  each  covering  one  arched  section  of 
the  lower  floor. 

Each  of  these  silent  memorials  of  a  monarch's 
devotion  to  the  creed  of  Islam  is  a  worthy  tribute 
to  the  hold  it  has  had  on  the  minds  of  countless 
millions  of  followers  ;  yet  an  even  more  perfect 
example  of  Oriental  architecture  is  the  Yeshil 
Jami,  or  Green  mosque,  which  takes  its  name  from 
the  green  faience  with  which  its  minarets,  that  fell 
during  an  earthquake  in  1855,  were  embellished. 
This  mosque  was  built  by  Mohammed  I  (1413-21) 
on  the  site  of  a  former  Byzantine  church,  across 
the  deep  ravine  at  the  eastern  end  of  the  city.  The 
paved  court  before  it  contains  wide-spreading 
trees  and  a  covered  fountain.  The  main  en- 
trance,  directly  behind  this  fountain,  is  typical 


50  ASIA  MINOR 

of  Seljukian  art  in  which  is  expressed  the  best  in- 
spiration of  Persia.  Its  carved  double  doors, 
placed  in  a  slight  recess  of  an  imposing  portal,  are 
surmounted  by  a  stalactite  arch  and  surrounded 
by  delicate  carving  of  inscriptions  and  arabesques 
of  exquisite  design.  Rarely  does  stone  seem  less 
inanimate,  for  slight  gradations  of  the  colour  of 
the  marble  and  the  soft  shading  of  the  carving 
impart  the  semblance  of  vitahty.  So  great  is 
the  reposeful  elegance  of  the  exterior  that,  even  when 
the  door  was  opened,  we  were  in  no  haste  to  enter. 
The  small  hall  leading  to  the  main  chamber 
is  decorated  with  green  faience,  which  surrounds 
blue  medallions  with  six-cornered  stars  suggestive 
of  the  pattern  of  Oushak  carpets  of  three  centuries 
ago.  Perhaps  this  resemblance  is  more  than  acci- 
dental, since  a  number  of  these  carpets  were  spread 
over  the  floors,  though  we  saw  them  in  no  other 
mosque  of  Asia  Minor.  The  main  chamber,  Ijdng 
beneath  the  large  domes,  is  twice  as  long  as  broad, 
and  is  divided  into  two  parts,  of  which  the  part 
farthest  from  the  door  is  elevated  about  four  feet 
above  the  other,  and  may  have  been  used  as  the 
imperial  tribune.  The  lower  part,  where  the  wor- 
shippers kneeled,  contains  an  octagonal-shaped 
marble  fountain  with  a  beautiful  ornamental 
standard.  And  at  each  side  of  the  entrance  are 
smaller  chambers  containing  shrine-niches,  which 
are  decorated  with  blue  and  green  faience  ar- 
ranged in  geometric  patterns,  and  with  delicately 
^^  gilded  enamel. 


ex 


V 


THE  ASIATIC  SHORE  51 

In  many  places  within  the  mosque,  as  well  as 
on  its  exterior,  the  faience  is  cracked  or  even  com- 
pletely destroyed  ;  yet  the  rich  colouring  of  what 
remains,  the  marvellous  stone  carving  of  Arabic 
letters  and  dainty  designs  that  appear  in  clear- 
cut  rehef,  the  soft  dim  Hght  that  penetrating 
stained-glass  window  is  reflected  from  marble 
walls,  and  a  silence  which  seems  almost  audible 
like  some  voice  of  the  Infinite,  awaken  in  the 
observer,  whatever  his  creed,  the  deepest  feelings. 

From  the  front  of  the  court  before  the  Yeshil 
Jami,  the  ground  rapidly  falls  away  so  as  to  give 
an  almost  unobstructed  view  of  the  flanks  of  the 
mountain  on  which  Brussa  rests.  Across  the 
ravine  to  the  north-west,  a  high  wall  encloses  a 
garden  and  the  mosque  of  Murad  II  (1421-51), 
the  last  of  the  sultans  who  preceded  the  conqueror 
of  Constantinople.  And,  amid  a  dark  tangle  of 
lofty  cypresses  and  giant  plane-trees,  the  domes 
and  minarets  of  numerous  other  mosques  rise 
above  the  roofs  of  houses,  and  not  infrequently 
afford  pictures  of  decaying  splendour  surrounded 
by  unrestrained  vegetation.  It  is  a  scene  in  which 
the  art  of  man  has  added  charm  to  the  lavish  work 
of  nature. 

The  same  spot  overlooks  the  final  resting  places 
of  many  of  the  Moslem  dead.  Most  of  them  pre- 
sent a  close  array  of  stern-looking  shafts  with 
turbaned  crowns,  for  the  poor,  who  are  in  the 
great  majority,  have  little  more  than  a  headstone  ; 
but  the  richer  have  marble  sarcophagi  surrounded 


52  ASIA  MINOR 

by  a  plot  of  grass  and  flowering  bushes  ;  and  the 
sultans  have  magnificent  turbehs,  or  mausoleums. 
Of  these,  the  Yeshil  Turbeh,  which  is  the  burial 
place  of  Mohammed  I,  and  the  turbehs  of  Osman 
and  Orchan,  which  are  near  together,  are  the  most 
interesting. 

The  Yeshil  Turbeh  is  at  the  rear  of  the  Yeshil 
Jami,  at  a  slightly  higher  elevation.  The  garden 
before  it  contains  large  numbers  of  small  bushes 
with  bright  flowers  arranged  carefully  in  little 
beds,  in  which  there  is  a  total  absence  of  dense 
trees,  so  that  the  dismal  gloom  of  the  usual 
Turkish  cemeteries  is  lacking.  Perhaps  it  was 
planned  so  as  to  be  in  keeping  with  an  original 
design  to  exclude  as  far  as  possible  every  sad  sug- 
gestion, for  the  exterior  of  the  turbeh  was  origin- 
ally covered  with  green  tiles  not  unlike  some  on 
the  inner  walls,  which  would  glitter  in  the  sun- 
light ;  and  the  carving  of  the  stonework  is  so 
delicate  that  there  is  nothing  oppressive  in  its 
massiveness.  The  structure  as  a  whole  is  as  simple 
as  beautiful.  It  is  of  octagonal  shape,  with  a 
vaulted  portal  of  exquisite  design  in  one  of  the 
sides,  and  windows  in  each  of  the  remaining  seven. 
The  interior  consists  principally  of  a  large  hall 
beneath  a  central  dome,  a  hall  in  which  the  light 
of  day  is  softened  by  passing  through  stained  glass 
before  it  falls  on  the  solemn  grey  walls  and  floor 
and  the  dark  investments  of  the  dead. 

The  present  turbehs  of  the  sultans  Osman  and 
Orchan  replace  earlier  tombs,  which  were  destroyed 


THE  ASIATIC  SHORE  53 

by  an  earthquake.  They  are  near  the  citadel,  and 
are  surrounded  by  a  garden,  where  a  Httle  rivulet 
flows  by  stone  walks,  where  the  fresh  breezes  from 
above  gather  the  sweet  odours  of  flowers.  Here 
beneath  sombre  catafalques,  overlooking  the  valley 
of  Brussa,  lie  the  remains  of  father  and  son  whose 
ancestors  only  a  short  while  before  were  wander- 
ing homeless  among  the  mountains  of  Armenia, 
and  whose  descendant  a  little  later  captured  Con- 
stantinople. Their  mausoleums  are  marked  by  an 
impressively  simple  observance  of  traditional  con- 
ventions ;  yet  they  are  fitting  monuments  for  the 
founders  of  the  great  Ottoman  Empire. 

There  are  other  places  less  imposing  and  with 
none  of  the  associations  of  lugubrious  mortality, 
which  nevertheless  are  as  distinctly  Oriental  and 
not  devoid  of  charm.  Such  are  the  medrissas,  of 
which  the  most  interesting  and  beautiful  is  the 
Yeshil  medrissa,  close  to  the  Yeshil  mosque.  Its 
vaulted  entrance-chamber  leads  to  a  quadrangle, 
with  rooms  for  students  on  three  sides  ;  while  its 
centre  contains  a  fountain  surrounded  by  native 
plants  and  fig-trees.  It  is,  however,  chiefly  the 
exterior  of  the  beautifully  decorated  entrance,  as 
well  as  the  green  faience  above  the  windows,  that 
gives  a  just  appreciation  of  its  former  grandeur. 
Many  of  these  old  medrissas  are  now  in  ruins  :  the 
faience  has  fallen  from  their  walls  ;  the  smoke  no 
longer  curls  above  the  innumerable  little  chimneys 
that  rise  from  the  separate  apartments  where  the 
students  lived.    But  the  seductive  pleasure  of  sit- 


54  ASIA  MINOR 

ting  in  the  cloister  or  under  the  fruit  trees  of  one 
of  them,  inhaling  the  fragrance  of  blossoms  and 
listening  to  the  singing  waters  of  the  fountain, 
long  lingers  in  the  memory  of  whoever  has  experi- 
enced it. 

The  warm  springs  at  the  western  end  of  Brussa 
and  among  the  suburbs  of  Tchekirgueh  probably 
had  greater  influence  than  the  cool  streams  and 
the  beauty  of  Mt.  Olympus  in  inducing  the  Otto- 
mans to  locate  their  capital  here,  for  to  the  Turk 
bathing  is  one  of  the  greatest  luxuries.  It  is,  more- 
over, enjoined  by  the  law.  Even  insignificant 
towns  have  their  bathing  places,  which  can  be 
distinguished  by  the  many  domes  studded  with 
numerous  small  hemispheres  of  glass  that  rise 
above  the  walls  of  the  building.  Every  important 
bathing  house  consists  of  three  apartments  :  the 
outer  room  where  the  bathers  undress,  an  adjoin- 
ing room  where  they  become  accustomed  to  greater 
degrees  of  heat  and  are  sometimes  rubbed  and  pre- 
pared for  the  bath,  and  the  inner  room  containing 
the  central  bathing  pool,  which  not  infrequently 
is  surrounded  by  numerous  alcoves  to  be  used  as 
resting  places.  In  the  larger  and  more  elegant 
establishments  these  rooms  are  of  marble,  elab- 
orately carved.  Such  is  the  case  at  Brussa,  where 
the  basin  beneath  the  central  dome  is  of  pohshed 
marble  fifteen  yards  in  diameter  ;  and  parts  of  the 
walls  have  some  of  the  old  mosaic  work  and  faience 
decoration  that  carry  the  mind  back  to  the  days 
of  the  early  sultans. 


THE  ASIATIC  SHORE  55 

While  Brussa  has  long  been  noted  for  its  mosques 
and  baths,  it  is  not  alone  a  place  of  purification 
spiritually  and  bodily  ;  it  is  the  capital  of  a  vilayet 
of  about  thirty  thousand  square  miles,  inhabited 
by  a  million  and  a  half  people  engaged  in  various 
pursuits  ;  it  is  also  the  commercial  centre  of  a  silk 
industry  which  gives  employment  to  a  large  part 
of  the  population.  It  has  over  fifty  factories  for 
spinning  the  silk  of  worms  that  feed  on  the  leaves 
of  millions  of  mulberry-trees  ;  and,  though  most 
of  the  raw  silk  is  sent  to  France,  there  are  houses 
where  some  of  the  silk  is  dyed  and  then  woven 
into  knot-tied  rugs. 

Many  of  the  towns  of  Asia  Minor  melt  away  into 
forsaken  plains  and  uninteresting  surroundings  ; 
but  it  is  not  so  with  Brussa.  Let  a  traveller  ride 
through  the  valley  below,  explore  the  shady 
ravines,  or  climb  the  trail  that  leads  to  the  snow- 
line of  Olympus,  and  he  will  find  everywhere  views 
of  fresh  and  striking  interest. 

Perhaps  it  was  the  murmuring  splash  of  the 
fountain,  or  the  soft  fragrance  of  orange-blossoms, 
that  cast  its  spell  over  us  one  beautiful  afternoon 
in  spring.  Summoning  a  carriage,  we  bade  the 
driver  take  us  wherever  he  would,  but  warned  him 
that  whipping  his  horses  would  merit  the  bow- 
string. We  passed  to  the  rear  of  the  hotel,  crossed 
the  deep  ravine  to  the  west  of  the  city,  then  slowly 
ascended  the  road  that  winds  along  the  hill-side. 
Here  we  turned  into  a  recess,  through  which  a 
noisy  rivulet  overhung  with  dense  fohage  tumbled 


56  ASIA  MINOR 

unceasingly  and  rushed  to  join  the  bigger  stream 
below  ;  here  we  approached  the  edge  of  a  de- 
clivity overlooking  the  whole  of  the  adjacent 
valley.  Almost  beneath  was  a  stone  bridge, 
humped  like  the  back  of  a  dromedary,  as  is  the 
case  of  so  many  of  the  bridges  of  Asia.  It  had 
doubtless  borne  the  tramp  of  great  armies  again 
and  again,  for  it  was  worn  and  gray  with  age. 
Near  it  we  could  see  gardens  carefully  cultivated  ; 
and,  farther  away,  orchards  of  oUves  and  mul- 
berries, leading  up  to  the  blue  divide  that  separ- 
ates the  valley  from  the  Sea  of  Marmora. 

It  seemed  to  be  a  holiday,  for  along  the  road  we 
overtook  parties  of  children  with  men  and  women  ; 
or  perhaps  they,  too,  had  yielded  to  the  call  of  the 
hills.  They  were  evidently  Greeks,  for  the  faces 
of  the  women  were  unveiled  and  showed  no  fear. 
Some  gathered  flowers  by  the  roadside,  and  twisted 
them  into  garlands  ;  some  sang  ;  all  seemed  full 
of  an  intense  joy  of  living. 

We  mounted  higher  until  to  the  east  appeared 
the  upper  flanks  of  Olympus,  which  are  not  visible 
from  the  city,  so  closely  does  it  nestle  at  the  base. 
What  lay  beneath  seemed  dwarfed  in  its  over- 
shadowing grandeur.  Far  to  the  west,  beyond 
glades  and  shaded  pastures,  stretched  vast  areas 
of  rolling  land,  enclosing  a  lake  that  sparkled  like 
some  great  gem  in  the  slanting  rays  of  the  sun. 
On  a  hill  close  by,  a  man  was  ploughing  with 
sluggish  oxen,  leaving  behind  furrows  of  dark, 
moist  soil  that  told  how  little  he  had  accomplished 


-<^STREKT    IN    SMYRNA    ON    TIfK    NOKIil     >1I>K 


IF    .M'|-.     I'ACUS 


<(. 


THE  ASIATIC  SHORE  57 

since  the  break  of  day.  Now,  from  other  fields, 
men  were  moving  homeward  ;  and  from  a  rock- 
built  hamlet,  on  a  little  shelf  of  ground,  blue  smoke 
rose  and  drifted  slowly  through  the  still  air.  As 
the  sun  sank  out  of  view,  shrouding  the  distant 
hills  in  great  patches  of  purple,  we  reached  a  deep 
ravine,  from  whose  gloomy  shadows  rose  the  sound 
of  waters  plunging  unceasingly  against  boulders  ; 
and  the  sound  rose  complainingly  as  if  trying  to 
impart  some  mystery  of  eternity  we  were  too  dull 
to  interpret.  All  else  was  still.  At  length  from 
out  of  a  thicket  far  across  the  ravine  came  the 
clear  note  of  a  bird,  prolonged  and  plaintive,  as 
though  to  announce  that  day  had  ended.  Infinite 
peace  seemed  to  pervade  all  things,  bringing  them 
into  harmony.  As  unwillingly  as  the  lotus-eater 
to  leave  his  shore,  we  turned  back,  for  at  early 
morning  we  were  to  leave  this  land  of  the  mulberry- 
trees  and  passing  splendour. 


CHAPTER  III 

CONSTANTINOPLE   TO   SMYRNA 

THE  voyage  from  Constantinople  to 
Smyrna  may  be  made  on  several  differ- 
ent lines  of  steamers,  of  which  the 
Austrian  Lloyd  and  the  Khedival  Mail 
are  generally  considered  the  best.  Though  the 
steamers  are  not  large,  their  rooms  are  comfort- 
able and  the  meals  fair,  so  that  when  the  weather 
is  favourable  the  voyage  is  one  of  constant  de- 
light, and  the  single  day  required  is  none  too 
long. 

It  was  one  afternoon  about  the  first  of  April 
when  we  left  the  great  Ottoman  capital  to  visit  the 
ancient  cities  of  Asia  Minor.  The  weather  had 
been  exceptionally  delightful,  for  at  this  time  of 
the  year  there  are  generally  much  rain  and  bleak 
northern  winds.  As  we  crossed  the  entrance  of 
the  Golden  Horn  and  passed  beyond  the  domes 
of  Hagia  Sophia  and  the  six  minarets  of  the  Achmet 
mosque  into  the  Sea  of  Marmora,  a  cool  breeze  blew 
across  it  from  the  farther  shore.  Perhaps  it  had 
touched  the  snows  of  Mt.  Olympus  after  traversing 
the  salty  plains  of  Anatolia ;  perhaps  it  had  played 
among  the  hills  where  the  founders  of  the  Ottoman 

58 


CONSTANTINOPLE  TO  SMYRNA       59 

race  had  followed  their  flocks.  It  awoke  again 
the  spirit  of  the  nomad,  dormant  for  unnumbered 
generations,  then  died  away. 

Neither  the  waters  of  the  Bay  of  Naples  nor  its 
skies  at  the  close  of  day  are  more  beautiful  than 
those  of  the  Marmora  and  the  iEgean.  Late  this 
quiet  afternoon  a  few  gulls  and  queer-rigged  craft 
floated  almost  motionlessly  on  the  sea.  Only  a 
slight  movement  stirred  its  surface,  from  which 
was  reflected  the  grey-blue  colour  of  a  sky  that  was 
mostly  veiled  with  thin  clouds,  but  darkened  in 
places  with  heavier  clouds  and  the  smoke  of  the 
city.  As  our  steamer  continued  on  its  way,  the 
domes  and  minarets  of  Stamboul  appeared  faintly 
like  unreal  images  in  a  clouded  background.  The 
sun  was  hidden  as  it  approached  its  setting  ;  then 
suddenly  the  west  was  brightened  with  a  silvery 
hght  that  appeared  the  more  beautiful  in  contrast 
with  duller  tones.  Now  the  light  fell  on  the  waters, 
which  shone  like  beaten  silver.  At  length  the 
light  turned  to  gold,  most  refined,  most  beautiful, 
that  flamed  the  western  clouds  with  a  splendour 
suggesting  worlds  not  made  with  hands.  Finally 
darkness,  effacing  every  outline,  spread  over  the 
sea. 

The  Dardanelles  are  about  forty  miles  long  and 
four  miles  wide,  or  a  little  more  than  twice  the 
length  and  breadth  of  the  Straits  of  the  Bosphorus. 
If  the  shores  of  the  Dardanelles  are  less  beautiful 
than  those  of  the  Bosphorus,  they  are  more  classic 
ground.     It  was  near  Abydos  on  the  Asiatic  side 


6o  ASIA  MINOR 

that  Xerxes  built  the  bridge  for  his  army  to  cross  ; 
and,  at  the  lower  end,  Agamemnon  and  Achilles 
warred  against  Priam,  before  the  walls  of  Troy. 
Twelve  miles  below  the  southern  entrance  is  the 
island  of  Tenedos,  to  which,  legends  say,  the 
Greeks  withdrew  till  the  Trojans  had  received 
within  their  walls  the  wooden  horse  ;  and  to  the 
east  of  it  rises  lofty  Mt.  Ida  that  witnessed  the 
judgment  of  Paris. 

It  had  rained  during  the  night ;  but  as  we  ap- 
proached the  island  of  Lesbos  the  sky  was  clear  ; 
the  sea  was  a  beautiful  indigo  blue,  dotted  with 
shining  white  sails.  On  the  north-east  side,  the 
croppings  of  limestone  give  the  island  a  very 
rugged  appearance,  as  if  it  were  somewhat  deso- 
late. Yet  parts  of  it  are  well  wooded  ;  parts, 
fertile  and  highly  cultivated.  Here  and  there  are 
orchards  of  olives,  and  also  villages,  even  high  on 
the  hill-sides. 

As  the  largest  island  in  the  eastern  part  of  the 
archipelago,  Lesbos  occupied  a  most  important 
position  in  the  early  history  of  the  Greek  colonies. 
It  was  the  home  of  historians,  philosophers,  and 
statesmen,  and  of  the  lyric  poets  Alcseus  and 
Sappho,  who  told  in  verse  of  its  hills  and  cliffs, 
among  which  they  wandered.  It  was  the  scene  of 
many  conflicts  on  account  of  its  importance  and 
position  ;  and  it  is  still  one  of  the  chief  bones  of 
contention  between  the  Greeks  and  Turks,  for, 
although  the  population  is  almost  entirely  Greek, 
it  lies  within  a  dozen  miles  of  the  Turkish  shore. 


CONSTANTINOPLE  TO  SMYRNA       6i 

Our  steamer  passed  between  the  island  and  the 
mainland  ;  and  at  the  south-eastern  part  of  the 
island,  anchored  in  an  open  roadstead  before 
Mitylene.  The  city  has  a  small  inner  harbour  of 
rectangular  shape,  protected  by  short  stone  piers, 
the  ends  of  which  support  diminutive  hghthouses  ; 
but  the  water  is  too  shallow  to  permit  large 
steamers  to  enter,  so  that  their  freight  and  pas- 
sengers are  transferred  in  lighters.  This  haven 
for  fishing  boats  and  smaller  vessels  is  partly  sur- 
rounded by  numerous  cafes  and  shops,  and  on  its 
south  side  by  a  plaza  with  large,  wide-spreading 
trees,  where  people  lounge  on  warm  summer  even- 
ings. Most  of  their  dwellings  extend  from  the 
plaza  southward  along  the  water  front,  though 
others  climb  far  up  the  hill,  whence  the  shore 
of  the  mainland  is  clearly  seen.  In  a  few  places 
clusters  of  cypresses  tower  above  the  houses, 
and  groves  of  olives  cover  the  hills  to  the  south  of 
the  city.  Little  remains  on  the  island  to  recall 
early  Grecian  days  ;  but  on  the  site  of  an  ancient 
acropohs,  to  the  north  of  the  city,  is  a  mediaeval 
castle  built  by  the  Genoese.  The  hill  on  which  it 
stands  was  once  separated  from  the  mainland  by 
a  small  channel,  so  that  it  could  be  assailed  only 
with  difficulty  ;  while  its  fortifications  were  so 
strongly  built  as  to  be  almost  impregnable  in  those 
days  of  simpler  warfare.  Even  now,  after  the  lapse 
of  centuries,  its  massive  walls  are  so  well  pre- 
served that  they  are  used  as  a  fort  by  the  Turkish 
soldiers, 


62  ASIA  MINOR 

On  the  afternoon  when  the  steamer  approached 
Smyrna  the  sea  was  the  colour  of  lapis  lazuli,  and 
was  gently  undulating  with  slight  swells.  Not  a 
cloud  flecked  the  sky  above  ;  but  heavy  clouds 
with  edges  tinged  with  dazzling  light  drifted  near 
the  horizon  and  over  the  mountains  that  surround 
the  bay.  They  cast  ragged  shadows  on  the  peaks 
of  the  Two  Brothers  that  lie  to  the  south,  on  Nif 
Dagh,  the  Ionian  Olympus  to  the  east  ;  and  on 
the  long  ridge  of  Mt.  Sipylus  to  the  north-east, 
covering  their  sides  with  patches  of  black-green 
separated  by  other  patches  of  the  emerald  of 
springtime,  and  making  a  setting  rarely  sur- 
passed for  the  cream-white  houses  of  the  second 
largest  city  of  the  Turkish  Empire. 

To  the  left,  the  steamer  passed  flat  lands  on 
which  mounds  of  salt  glistened  in  the  sun  ;  then 
entered  the  channel  near  its  modern  fortifications. 
It  came  to  anchor  near  the  quay,  at  a  distance  of 
about  one  hundred  and  fifty  yards  from  a  score  of 
boats,  each  holding  a  couple  of  men.  The  boats, 
riding  motionless  on  the  water,  were  drawn  in  line 
facing  the  steamer ;  but  at  some  signal  they 
dashed  forward  like  hounds  from  a  leash,  racing 
for  the  gangway.  As  they  approached,  the  men 
in  them  became  a  howling  mob,  and  reaching  the 
gangway  sprang  up,  gesticulating,  yelling,  wrang- 
ling, pushing,  struggling,  yet  never  came  to  blows  ; 
and  rushed  aboard  like  pirates  to  seize  and  bear 
ashore  the  luggage  of  the  travellers.  Some  of 
them  were  wretchedly  garbed  ;    some  were  men 


CONSTANTINOPLE  TO  SMYRNA       63 

in  whose  faces  appeared  the  roar  of  the  tempest, 
the  red  heat  of  burning  wastes,  the  bitter  anguish 
of  hunger  and  thirst.  And  with  such  noise  and 
confusion  and  contest,  all  for  a  trifling  recom- 
pense, they  received  us  at  the  threshold  of  Asia. 


CHAPTER  IV 

SMYRNA 

EVEN  before  a  stranger  has  landed  on  the 
quay  of  Smyrna,  he  begins  to  reahze  he 
is  about  to  enter  a  very  old  city,  for,  on 
the  summit  of  a  low  mountain  against 
which  it  rests,  he  sees  a  long  line  of  shattered  walls 
that  speak  unmistakably  of  ancient  methods  of 
warfare  and  of  the  wear  of  many  passing  centuries. 
It  is  indeed  one  of  the  many  Greek  cities  which 
once  flourished  on  the  western  coast  of  Asia  Minor, 
and  the  only  one  that  has  survived  ;  it  is  also 
older  than  most  of  them,  since  its  earliest  founda- 
tions ante-dated  the  beginnings  of  history.  They 
were  laid,  it  is  said,  by  ^Eolians,  about  iioo  B.C., 
on  the  site  of  a  previous  settlement  of  the  Leleges  ; 
there  is  also  a  tradition,  going  back  into  the  far 
misty  past,  that  its  name  was  derived  from  one  of 
the  Amazons  of  Anatolia. 

Once  the  gulf  extended  as  a  narrow  channel 
much  farther  inland  ;  and  the  ancient  city  of 
Smyrna  was  on  its  northern  shore,  about  four 
miles  to  the  north-east  of  the  present  city.  But 
during  the  past  three  thousand  years  the  coast 
has  been  slowly  rising,  and  from  the  valleys  and 
mountains  the  rivers  have  been  bringing   down 

64 


^- 


■aar. 


% 


STRKKT    I^^^MVRNA    NEAR     i  H  K     IKKKK    <H      Till-:    WMIKIINC     DKRXISMKS 


%. 


\, 


SMYRNA  65 

silt  and  depositing  it  in  the  harbours,  so  that  now 
the  sea  has  receded  at  Smyrna,  as  it  has  also  at 
Ephesus  and  Miletus. 

In  those  early  days  the  Royal  Road  of  the 
Hittites,  over  which  caravans  brought  precious 
stuff  from  the  Far  East,  passed  from  the  valley  of 
the  Hermus  over  a  low  divide  and  along  the 
southern  side  of  Mt.  Sipylus  to  this  ancient  city. 
But  an  equally  important  branch  from  near  Sardis, 
which  traversed  the  valley  of  the  Cayster  not  far 
from  Colophon,  directed  some  of  the  commerce  to 
the  ports  of  Ephesus  and  Miletus.  Thus  arose  a 
commercial  rivalry  between  Smyrna  and  Ephesus, 
which  resulted  in  the  Ephesians  aiding  the  people 
of  Colophon  to  obtain  control  of  Smyrna.  And  so 
it  happened  that,  at  the  beginning  of  the  seventh 
century  B.C.,  it  became  part  of  the  Ionian  League  ; 
but  at  the  end  of  the  century  it  was  captured  by 
Alyattes,  king  of  the  Lydians. 

Little  is  known  of  the  history  of  Smyrna  during 
the  following  three  centuries.  The  statement  by 
Strabo  that  it  was  destroyed  by  the  Lydians  is  in- 
consistent with  the  reference  of  Pliny  to  its  beauty. 
Yet  without  a  doubt  much  of  its  early  political 
and  commercial  importance  waned,  until  Antig- 
onus  and  Lysimachus,  the  successors  of  Alex- 
ander, transferred  the  inhabitants  across  the 
narrow  arm  of  the  gulf  to  the  base  and  flank  of 
the  northern  side  of  Mt.  Pagus,  and  there  laid  the 
foundation  of  its  subsequent  greatness.  Then,  for 
protection,  they  built  a  citadel  on  the  top  of  the 


66  ASIA  MINOR 

mountain,  and  a  wall  six  feet  thick  which  com- 
pletely encircled  the  new  city  except  on  the  side 
of  the  sea.  The  wall  has  almost  entirely  dis- 
appeared, and  the  location  of  only  two  of  the  gates 
is  known  :  one  to  the  east  near  the  depot  of  the 
railroad  to  Sardis  ;  and  the  other,  which  was  called 
the  Ephesian  Gate,  at  the  west  end.  Between 
these  two  gates  lay  the  principal  street  of  the  city, 
known  as  the  Golden  Street,  the  street  where  the 
wealth  of  the  East  was  exchanged  for  the  wealth 
of  the  West. 

On  a  magnificent  harbour,  where  it  received  the 
ships  of  every  city  of  the  Mediterranean,  and  sur- 
rounded by  the  most  fertile  valleys  of  Asia  Minor, 
Smyrna  soon  became  one  of  the  most  prosperous 
cities  of  the  world.  Through  its  gates  passed  the 
commerce  of  every  nation.  Its  broad  streets  were 
laid  out  with  regularity  and  paved  with  stone.  It 
had  a  public  library,  an  odeum,  a  theatre  in  which 
were  heard  the  plays  of  Greek  tragedians,  and  a 
stadium  in  which  were  regularly  held  games  like 
those  of  Olympia.  It  had  temples  erected  to 
Diana,  Apollo,  and  Jupiter,  as  well  as  to  Cybele, 
the  tutelary  goddess  of  the  city. 

Not  alone  its  pagan  history,  but  its  sacred 
history,  also,  is  of  interest,  since  here  was  estab- 
lished one  of  the  earliest  Christian  churches,  which 
became  known  as  one  of  the  Seven  Churches  of 
the  Apocalypse  ;  and  here  was  born  its  second 
bishop,  Polycarp,  who  was  burned  in  the  stadium 
after  refusing  to  become  an  apostate. 


SMYRNA  67 

The  Smyrna  of  to-day  has  almost  completely 
engulfed  the  old  city,  leaving  only  a  few  half- 
intelligible  ruins.  It  extends  from  what  is  known 
as  the  Point,  at  its  northerly  extremity,  for  a  dis- 
tance of  about  three  miles  to  the  south-west  along 
the  Gulf  of  Smyrna  ;  on  its  north-east  side,  it 
extends  from  the  Point  for  a  mile  along  the  inner 
harbour,  known  as  the  Gulf  of  Burnabat  ;  and 
on  the  south  it  reaches  nearly  to  the  summit  of 
Mt.  Pagus.  The  character  of  its  population  also 
has  changed,  for  it  now  consists  principally  of 
Turks,  though  it  has  large  numbers  of  Greeks, 
x^rmenians,  and  Jews,  as  well  as  those  Europeans 
who  are  generally  spoken  of  as  Franks.  Each  of 
these  different  classes,  making  a  total  of  about 
three  hundred  thousand  inhabitants,  dwells  in  a 
clearly  defined  section  of  the  city,  possessing  pecu- 
liarities of  its  own,  but  comes  forth  to  mingle  with 
the  others  on  the  quay,  in  the  bazaar,  and  along 
the  streets  that  pass  through  the  heart  of  the 
city. 

The  Franks  occupy  a  narrow  strip  of  land  ex- 
tending for  a  mile  and  a  half  to  the  south-west  of 
the  Point,  and  between  the  harbour  and  Frank 
Street,  which  is  parallel  to  it.  Along  its  wp,ter- 
front,  a  stone-paved  boulevard,  sixty  feet  wide, 
rises  about  three  feet  above  the  surface  of  the  sea, 
and  becomes  the  quay  as  it  extends  beyond  the 
custom-house  and  wharves  to  the  Konak.  The 
rise  and  fall  of  the  tide  is  hardly  noticeable  ;  but 
when  the  winds  blow  from  the  west  the  waves 


68  ASIA  MINOR 

pile  up  and  dash  over  the  boulevard,  wetting  the 
feet  of  passing  horses  and  driving  promenaders 
to  the  inner  side.  The  view  from  this  northern 
water-front  over  the  harbour  and  the  surrounding 
mountains  has  attracted  many  of  the  wealthiest 
residents,  some  of  whom  occupy  imposing-looking 
houses  several  stories  high  and  faced  with  marble. 
The  foreign  legations  also  have  their  homes  here. 
Along  the  boulevard,  farther  to  the  south,  are 
places  of  entertainment,  where  may  be  seen  moving 
pictures  from  America,  ballets  from  Russia,  and 
spicy  plays  from  Paris.  Here  are  the  best  hotels, 
as  well  as  numerous  cafes,  where,  while  sipping 
coffee  or  sherbet,  one  may  watch  the  movements 
of  some  steamer  or  white  yacht  or  lead-coloured 
vessel  of  war  among  the  light  craft  bobbing  on  the 
waves,  or  notice  the  latest  modes  from  Paris  worn 
by  the  elite. 

Even  this  quarter,  though  occupied  almost  en- 
tirely by  Europeans,  has  an  Oriental  flavour,  since 
it  adjoins  the  wharves,  where  Turks,  Arabs,  and 
Syrians,  dressed  in  native  garb,  are  constantly 
employed  loading  and  unloading  merchandise. 
Here  also  are  many  of  the  retail  stores,  where 
Greeks  vie  with  Armenians  in  enticing  purchasers, 
and  portable  stands,  behind  which  men  with 
guileless  look  wait  to  exchange  gold  Napoleons  for 
silver  mejidiehs.  Turks  are  stationed  at  every 
principal  corner,  offering  carriages  for  hire  at  rates 
that  almost  compete  with  the  old-fashioned  horse- 
car  line,  which  runs  from  the  depot  at  the  Point 


SMYRNA  69 

along  the  quay  to  the  south-eastern  part  of  the 
city.  And  other  Turks  are  constantly  at  hand  to 
remove  the  dust  and  mud  from  foreigners'  shoes, 
though  neglectful  of  their  own.  In  fact,  the  shoe- 
black at  Smyrna  is  an  important  personage. 
One  who  gave  me  his  attention  had  a  portable 
stand  about  a  yard  long  and  a  foot  wide,  made  of 
inlaid  wood  carefully  bound  with  brass,  and  with 
a  brass  knob  rising  from  each  of  the  four  corners. 
The  top  contained  a  small  round  mirror  as  well  as 
innumerable  small  boxes  of  paste  and  more  than 
fourscore  bottles  of  liquids  to  suit  all  conditions 
and  tints  of  leather. 

The  Greek  quarter  is  behind  and  to  the  south- 
east of  the  Frank  quarter.  All  of  its  inhabitants 
are  industrious  :  some  are  engaged  in  simple  pur- 
suits ;  others  are  merchants  conducting  important 
houses  of  business.  The  homes  in  which  they  live 
are  to  a  large  extent  comparatively  modern  houses, 
two  stories  high,  with  roofs  covered  with  fiat- 
shaped  tiles,  and  with  fronts  of  stucco  faced  with 
stone.  Many  have  marble  steps  leading  up  to  glass 
doors  protected  by  iron  grille  work  but  unobscured 
by  curtains,  as  if  it  were  the  hospitable  intent  of 
the  owner  to  invite  the  glance  of  the  passer-by  to  the 
neatly  furnished  hall  and  the  open  court,  cheerful 
with  vines  and  blossoming  bushes,  with  its  Httle 
gravel  walks  and  perhaps  a  fountain.  It  is  not  un- 
usual, also,  to  leave  the  windows  of  the  lower  floor 
uncurtained  at  night,  so  that  one  turning  involun- 
tarily from  the  dark  street  to  the  bright  light  can- 


70  ASIA  MINOR 

not  but  see  the  family  gathered  at  their  evening 
meal. 

Both  the  Frank  and  the  Greek  quarters  lie  to 
the  north  of  the  limits  of  the  ancient  city  ;  but 
the  Armxcnian  quarter,  which  is  to  the  south  of  the 
Greek,  undoubtedly  covers  part  of  it.  It  also  lies 
between  Frank  Street,  which  is  the  great  shopping 
centre  of  the  city,  and  the  station  of  the  Smyrna- 
Kassaba  railway,  which  runs  through  the  valley 
of  the  Hermus  to  Ahum  Kara-hissar,  so  that  the 
travel  through  it  is  constant.  The  most  important 
building  of  this  quarter  is  the  Armenian  Cathedral 
of  St.  Stephen.  It  stands  near  the  northern  line 
of  the  ancient  wall  of  Lysimachus,  and  occupies 
part  of  an  enclosure  which  seems  apart  from  the 
city,  though  in  the  very  heart  of  it,  an  enclosure 
where  the  bustle  of  activity  never  intrudes  ;  where 
the  remains  of  Christians  lie  beneath  aged  shady 
trees,  and  under  carefully  dressed  marble  slabs 
marked  with  emblems,  which  singularly  include 
designs  that  for  centuries  have  been  employed  by 
Mohammedans.  Perhaps  fortunately,  in  1845  a 
fire  swept  away  many  of  the  old  buildings  in  this 
part  of  the  city,  for  the  present  houses,  though 
small,  are  substantial  and  attractive,  and  are  also 
comparatively  clean.  One  I  was  invited  to  enter 
had  wooden  floors,  which  were  partly  covered  with 
neat  little  rugs,  and  had  been  so  constantly 
scrubbed  that  wherever  exposed  they  vividly 
reflected  the  light  that  fell  upon  them. 

The  Jews,  with  whom  the  Turks  have  always 


SMYRNA  71 

sympathized,  and  who  have  been  unmolested 
during  Turkish  wars,  occupy  a  small  district  to 
the  west  of  the  Armenian  quarter  and  to  the  south 
of  the  bazaar,  a  district  where  large  numbers  are 
huddled  together  in  the  small  rooms  of  low  houses 
that  face  on  narrow  courts  approached  by  alleys 
from  the  main  street.  Though  near  one  of  the 
dirtiest  parts  of  the  city,  this  small  and  picture- 
esque  district  is  in  comparison  moderately  clean. 
The  women  seem  to  be  interminably  washing  their 
clothes,  which  are  afterwards  hung  on  hues 
stretched  across  the  court  from  roof  to  roof  ;  or 
are  still  more  earnestly  engaged  in  scrubbing  the 
floors  or  sweeping  the  stone  pavements.  Many  of 
their  husbands,  meanwhile,  are  patiently,  if  not 
industriously,  occupying  dingy  cribs  in  the  bazaar, 
or  in  the  street  of  the  silversmiths,  and  meeting 
with  a  success  measured  by  their  shrewdness  and 
frugality. 

A  very  much  larger  area,  which  extends  almost 
to  the  top  of  Mt.  Pagus,  as  well  as  along  the  shore 
to  the  west,  is  occupied  by  the  Turks.  It  is  by  far 
the  dirtiest,  most  picturesque,  most  fascinating, 
and  most  Oriental  quarter  of  all.  It  contains 
bazaars,  mosques,  baths,  and  caravansaries.  Here 
are  the  filthy  hovels  of  poor  Mussulmans ;  and  also 
the  pretentious  homes  of  wealthy  beys,  houses  two 
and  three  stories  high,  with  mysterious  lattice 
windows  that  may  conceal  either  a  withered  face 
or  a  languid  beauty.  The  principal  streets  are 
lined  with  shops  and  khans  with  the  names  of  the 


72  ASIA  MINOR 

proprietors  inscribed  above  the  doors  in  writing 
that,  despite  a  semblance  of  elegance,  suggests 
the  wriggles  of  a  worm  surrounded  by  lesser 
wriggles  interspersed  with  dots  and  dashes.  Many 
of  the  buildings  are  modern  ;  others  are  old  ;  and 
some  are  even  built  against  the  historic  masonry 
of  ancient  Smyrna.  Men  wearing  baggy  trousers 
loiter  before  the  shops  and  coffee  houses  ;  der- 
vishes with  conical  hats  of  brown  felt,  had j is  with 
green  turbans  and  grey  beards,  saunter  majestic- 
ally ;  and  women  hidden  in  shapeless  ferridges, 
and  wearing  sandals  that  are  merely  a  sole  of 
leather  with  a  covering  at  one  end  into  which  to 
thrust  their  toes,  glide  like  shadows  through  the 
street.  Young  boys  play  at  knuckle-bones  while 
they  look  askance  at  giaour  strangers.  Older 
boys,  seated  in  saddles  with  huge  backs,  guide 
their  small  donkeys  in  and  out  of  slowly  moving 
crowds  ;  and  muzzled  camels,  before  whom  every- 
thing yields,  stride  along  with  the  dignity  of  a 
sultan  yet  as  nearly  like  an  ostrich  as  any  four- 
legged  animal  can  be.  There  are  ever  present  the 
bright  colours  so  peculiar  to  the  Orient  :  the  green 
sashes  and  blue  garments  of  men,  their  red  fezes 
and  turbans  ;  the  crimson  dresses  of  Greek  and 
Jewish  girls  and  women  ;  the  orange  trappings  of 
animals  ;  as  well  as  the  more  sombre  tones  of 
browns  and  greys,  and  the  solemn  black  worn  by 
Turkish  women — all  mingling,  as  those  who  wear 
them  come  and  go.  And  rising  above  the  yelping 
of  dogs,  the  cries  of  children,  the  calls  of  vendors, 


IX     IHE    COaklYAKI)    OK    THE     HOWLING    UKR\  LSHES    AT   SMYRNA 


MEN    KS^tViiSlSG    FROM    KlI.I.lNi.    LOCUSTS    IN    THE    SUBURBS    Ol-    SMYRNy 


"W^ 


SMYRNA  73 

the  rattle  of  wheels  and  the  complaining  grunts  of 
camels,  is  heard  at  regular  intervals,  just  as  it  has 
been  heard  for  forty  generations,  the  deep,  clear 
intonation  of  the  muezzin  from  the  minaret,  cast- 
ing even  over  the  listening  infidel  a  spell  that 
lingers  as  long  as  the  memory. 

Near  a  booth,  I  saw  an  old  man  separating  wool 
by  striking  the  cord  of  a  heavy  bow  with, a  mallet 
as  his  ancestors  had  done  centuries  ago.  In  an 
establishment  for  dyeing,  a  number  of  men, 
ignorant  of  the  old  art  of  using  vegetable  dyes, 
and  smeared  with  the  cruder  analines,  were  hang- 
ing skeins  of  freshly  dyed  wool  on  the  roof  to  dry. 
In  a  caravansary,  men  from  the  desert  were  un- 
loading their  kneeling  camels  and  drawing  for 
them  water  from  an  old  stone  well,  as  in  the  days 
of  the  patriarchs.  Above  the  roofs  of  the  houses 
of  another  district,  I  counted  twenty-three  kites 
that  boys  were  flying  simultaneously  ;  while  in 
the  streets  below,  I  saw  women  dressed  as  daintily 
and  officers  as  jauntily  as  on  the  Champs-Elysees. 
It  is  indeed  a  city  that  has  an  odd  blending  of  the 
old  and  new. 

The  bazaar  of  Smyrna,  though  much  less  ex- 
tensive than  those  of  Constantinople  and  Tabriz, 
is  the  largest  in  Asia  Minor.  It  occupies  a  position 
to  the  east  of  the  barracks,  near  the  place  where 
the  northern  wall  of  the  city  once  terminated  at 
the  shore  in  the  castle  of  St.  Peter,  which  for  a 
century  and  a  half  was  held  by  the  Knights  of 
Rhodes.     It  also  covers  part  of  what  was  once  a 


74  ASIA  MINOR 

small  inner  harbour  with  an  entrance  closed  by  a 
cable,  a  harbour  which  Tamerlane,  after  capturing 
the  city,  ordered  his  men  to  destroy  by  carrying 
stones  from  the  old  citadel  and  throwing  them 
into  it ;  though  only  within  a  comparatively  recent 
period  was  it  made  firm  land.  Hundreds  of 
little  shops  are  clustered  here.  Some  of  them  are 
hardly  more  than  a  dingy  crib  occupying  a  few 
square  feet  of  surface  ;  but  others  have  two  rooms  : 
an  outer  room  where  the  ordinary  wares  are  dis- 
played, and  an  inner  one  where  the  choicer  goods 
are  kept  and  a  prospective  purchaser  is  invited, 
while  the  door  between  is  closed  so  as  to  exclude 
all  interruption.  The  total  length  of  all  the  little 
lanes  and  by-ways  would  probably  equal  several 
miles,  for  they  lie  close  together,  winding,  crossing 
and  re-crossing  like  the  meshes  of  a  spider's  web. 
Most  of  them  are  covered  with  a  vaulted  roof 
through  which  faint  light  enters  obliquely  ;  yet 
there  are  more  fascinating  spots  where  the  sun- 
light falls  directly  into  open  courts. 

Frequently,  after  a  long  walk,  I  enjoyed  sitting 
quietly  in  the  principal  court,  watching  the  people 
pass  by.  I  remember  particularly  being  there  one 
day  when  the  sky  had  cleared  after  a  shower.  In 
other  parts  of  the  city  it  was  warm,  yet  this  spot 
was  refreshingly  cool.  Perhaps  it  seemed  even 
cooler  than  it  was,  because  of  the  sound  of  running 
water  that  came  from  a  marble  fountain  which 
stands  in  the  middle  of  the  court.  The  surround- 
ing booths  were  protected  by  awnings,  and  the 


SMYRNA  75 

rays  of  the  sun  fell  upon  the  stone  flags  of  the 
pavement  only  after  a  struggle  to  find  their  way 
through  the  broad  leaves  of  palm,  maple,  and 
mulberry-trees.  At  one  of  these  booths  a  Turk 
was  displaying  Egyptian  beans  and  large  loaves 
of  bread.  In  another,  the  principal  commodities 
were  bracelets  of  enamel  ware  and  strings  of  blue 
and  red  beads,  some  of  which  were  reputed  to 
have  been  brought  from  Mecca.  In  still  another, 
a  Jew  was  handling  rugs  gathered  from  through- 
out Asiatic  Turkey,  from  Caucasia,  Persia,  and  far 
distant  Turkestan. 

At  first  I  was  regarded  with  eager  anticipation, 
then  with  keen  disappointment,  by  those  who  had 
articles  to  sell,  and  with  curiosity  and  half  sus- 
picion by  those  who  had  nothing.  But  as  I 
remained  quiet  their  interest  at  length  flagged, 
so  that  undisturbed  I  was  permitted  to  observe 
the  life  about  me.  From  all  surrounding  quarters 
the  people  of  Smyrna  were  drifting  into  and 
through  this  seductive  breathing  spot  in  the  dusky 
bazaar.  Some  officers  took  a  seat  at  a  table  by 
small  rubber  trees,  and  began  to  smoke  cigarettes 
and  sip  coffee.  A  turbaned  Turk  with  bulging 
trousers,  who  was  bearing  a  large  basket  of  oranges, 
and  a  Greek  with  a  handful  of  home-made  brooms, 
were  each  seeking  a  customer.  A  bent  figure, 
moving  lethargically,  approached  the  fountain  to 
drink,  and  to  wash  his  hands  and  feet  before  enter- 
ing the  mosque  near  by  ;  while  a  youth  drew  water 
to  refresh  the  plants  of  daisies,  marguerites,  hya- 


76  ASIA  MINOR 

cinths,  and  geraniums  that  he  offered  for  sale  in 
Httle  pots.  Along  came  a  man  with  a  brass-bomid 
wooden  frame  on  which  to  clean  shoes  for  one-fifth 
the  sum  that,  most  probably,  he  would  ungrate- 
fully accept  for  a  similar  service  in  the  Occident. 
In  turn  passed  by  a  black-robed  woman  veiled 
with  a  cowl-like  tcharchaf,  an  aged  negro  with  red 
and  white  turban  and  flowing  coat,  a  young  Jewess 
with  wooden  shoes  clanking  on  the  pavement, 
and  a  boy  leading  a  donkey. 

As  I  sat  listening  to  the  strange  voices  and 
watching  the  scene,  it  seemed  as  if  some  dreamy 
spell  of  the  East  was  affecting  all  things,  dis- 
pelling timidity,  for  a  strange  cat  came  and 
rubbed  its  back  against  my  leg,  a  yellowish  white 
puppy  with  inquisitive  nose  approached  and 
wagged  his  tail,  a  white-winged  butterfly  fluttered 
past  my  face  to  the  big  leaves  of  the  plane  tree 
just  overhead,  and  wild  turtle-doves  with  dark 
rings  about  their  throats  settled  confidently 
among  the  branches,  almost  within  reach,  and 
cooed  softly  their  plaintive  love  notes. 

The  leaves  and  branches  of  a  few  tall  trees  partly 
veil  from  this  court  a  mosque  known  as  the  Hissar 
Jami.  It  was  built  one  hundred  years  ago,  and  is 
one  of  the  most  important  of  the  fifty  mosques  of 
Smyrna  ;  but  it  lacks  the  historic  associations  and 
much  of  the  architectural  beauty  of  the  more 
famous  mosques  of  Brussa.  Its  large  dome,  rest- 
ing on  an  octagonal  base  supported  by  marble 
columns,  rises  high  above  the  surrounding  roofs, 


SMYRNA  77 

so  that  from  all  over  the  city  it  is  a  conspicuous 
object.  Yet  its  location  within  the  bazaar,  where 
a  stream  of  Moslems  is  constantly  passing  within 
call  of  the  muezzin,  is  sufficient  explanation  for 
the  large  numbers  of  its  worshippers.  Most  of 
them  enter  at  regular  hours,  after  passing  from 
the  court  through  a  high  iron  gateway  leading 
into  a  small  open  space,  which  contains  marble 
stands  with  faucets  for  washing  the  feet  and 
hands,  as  is  prescribed  in  the  Koran,  so  that  at 
times  the  whole  floor  is  almost  entirely  covered 
with  a  dark  mass  of  turbaned  but  shoeless  kneeling 
forms,  bending,  straightening  and  bending  again, 
as  with  faces  to  Mecca  their  bodies  and  lips  unite 
in  earnest  devotion  to  Allah. 

Contrary  to  the  popular  impression  in  Europe 
and  America,  there  are  very  few  fine  antique  rugs 
in  the  mosques  of  Asia  Minor,  as  they  have  been 
almost  entirely  removed  to  Constantinople.  The 
floor  of  the  Hissar  Jami,  which  has  a  breadth  of 
one  hundred  feet  and  a  depth  of  only  sixty-six, 
is  almost  entirely  covered  with  modern,  poorly- 
coloured  rugs  and  kilims.  One  of  these  is  a  woven 
strip  containing  thirty-four  separate  patterns,  each 
similar  in  drawing  to  the  patterns  of  old  Ghiordes 
prayer  rugs.  Among  other  pieces  of  less  import- 
ance, I  noticed  not  less  than  a  dozen  much  worn 
Persian  Feraghans  and  two  or  three  Ghiordes 
hearth-rugs  ;  but  apart  from  their  association, 
they  merit  little  consideration.  This  absence  of 
Oriental  splendour  in  the  floor  coverings  is  appar- 


yS  ASIA  MINOR 

ent  in  all  the  surroundings,  for  besides  a  picture 
of  the  Kaaba  at  Mecca,  a  few  precepts  from  the 
Koran  on  the  walls,  and  some  brass  candlesticks 
near  the  mihrab,  there  is  little  to  attract  the  eye. 

One  morning  I  went  with  a  Turkish  Bey  to 
visit  the  Serapji  mosque,  which  was  built  by  one 
of  his  ancestors  near  the  base  of  Mt.  Pagus.  It 
was  not  gloomy  and  musty  like  so  many  other 
mosques,  as  the  sunlight  streamed  through  large 
windows  and  fell  upon  the  freshly  carpeted  floors 
and  brightly  tinted  walls  of  an  interior  which 
might  have  been  mistaken  for  some  Christian 
place  of  worship,  were  it  not  for  some  Mohammedan 
inscriptions  and  the  mimbar  that  rose  in  one  corner. 
At  the  request  of  the  Bey,  we  were  permitted  to 
ascend  the  minaret.  As  is  the  case  with  most  of 
them,  the  walls  are  of  stone  about  a  foot  thick, 
enclosing  a  cylindrical  space  about  five  feet  wide, 
in  the  centre  of  which  is  a  stone  pillar  with  wedge- 
shaped  steps  that  revolve  about  it  like  a  spiral. 
The  distance  to  the  top  seemed  interminable,  so 
that  we  were  glad  to  rest  whenever  we  came  to 
the  small  rectangular  openings  that  admitted 
light  and  ventilation  ;  but  when  we  had  reached 
the  last  step  and  passed  out  into  the  narrow 
balcony,  far  above  the  housetops  below,  we  saw 
Smyrna  spread  before  us  like  a  map,  a  sight  that 
more  than  compensated  for  the  toilsome  climbing. 

It  seemed  as  we  moved  around  the  balcony, 
which  was  too  narrow  for  two  to  pass,  as  if  we 
were  looking  into  the  very  life  and  heart  of  the 


SMYRNA  79 

city.  To  the  north  and  north-west  lay  the  bazaar, 
the  Konak,  the  curious  rows  of  buildings  erected 
by  the  English  Levant  Company  in  the  eighteenth 
century,  and  the  wharves  where  steamers  from 
Constantinople,  Alexandria,  Marseilles,  Belgium, 
and  even  Russia  were  loading  or  unloading  mer- 
chandise. To  the  east,  the  tops  of  synagogues 
rose  above  the  narrow  winding  alleys  of  the  Jewish 
quarters.  Here  and  there  clusters  of  small  domes 
indicated  the  roofs  of  Turkish  bath  houses.  Just 
below,  in  a  caravansary,  which  the  founder  of  the 
mosque  had  bequeathed  to  its  elders  for  its  main- 
tenance, donkeys  and  camels  were  munching  hay. 
From  this  elevation  we  could  see  the  shrouded 
figures  of  women  hesitatingly  moving  along 
crooked  lanes,  and  other  women,  unconscious  of 
our  view,  working  at  the  rear  of  their  houses  in 
small  yards  or  gardens,  of  which  the  streets  gave 
no  indication.  Above  the  tangle  of  roofs,  domes, 
and  minarets  rose  the  dull  rumbling  sound,  now 
increasing  now  diminishing,  of  the  pulsating  life 
of  the  city.  And  far  away  to  the  north  and  west 
appeared  the  blue  waters  of  the  gulf  ;  while  to  the 
south,  with  clear  definition  against  the  sky,  ex- 
tended the  ridge  crowned  by  the  citadel  and  the 
ragged  edge  of  a  cypress  grove  that  marks  a 
cemetery. 

One  afternoon  I  went  with  the  Bey  and  a  few 
acquaintances  to  visit  the  tekke,  or  religious  house, 
of  the  Mevlevi  or  Whirling  Dervishes,  which  is 
situated  at  an  elevation  on  the  side  of  Mt.  Pagus 


8o  ASIA  MINOR 

overlooking  most  of  the  city  and  the  harbour.  We 
were  presented  by  the  Bey  to  the  head  of  the 
order,  who  received  us  graciously  in  an  ante-room  ; 
and  to  judge  by  the  compliments  that  were  ex- 
changed and  the  numerous  cigarettes  and  cups  of 
coffee  which  were  offered,  it  would  seem  that  the 
attitude  of  Mohammedans  to  Christians  was  most 
cordial  ;  although  we  had  been  told  that  since  the 
Balkan  war  they  felt  much  bitterness  toward  them. 

When  the  ceremonies  were  ready  to  begin  we 
were  escorted  into  the  principal  hall,  where  as 
particular  guests  we  were  offered  chairs  on  the 
main  floor.  The  hall  was  entirely  bare  of  furniture 
except  what  had  been  brought  there  for  our  com- 
fort, and  was  almost  without  ornament ;  but  to 
the  left  was  a  recess  where  the  remains  of  some 
of  the  departed  chiefs  of  the  order  lay  enshrined 
in  state.  An  orchestra  of  native  musicians  sat  in 
a  gallery  over  the  entrance  ;  Turks  who  like  our- 
selves were  observers  and  not  participants  occu- 
pied a  gallery  on  the  right ;  while  behind  lattice- 
work in  a  gallery  on  the  left  were  hidden  the 
women,  who  were  permitted  neither  to  be  seen 
nor  to  worship. 

Ten  dervishes,  including  youths  and  old  men, 
with  skirts  that  reached  to  their  bare  feet  and 
with  tall  brown  hats,  ranged  themselves  at  the 
side  of  the  hall  facing  the  tomb  ;  while  their  chief, 
similarly  dressed  but  with  a  green  band  about  his 
hat,  took  a  seat  beneath  an  arch  opposite  the 
entrance,   resting   on   a   goatskin,   with   his   legs 


"VqA  courtyard  ()|-  a  caravansary  at  SMYRNA 


SMYRNA  Si 

doubled  under  him.  He  was  a  tall,  fine-looking 
man  who  had  a  place  of  business  in  the  bazaar  ; 
but  here  the  material  world  was  forgotten,  and  he 
became  a  mystic.  After  all  had  continued  for 
half  an  hour  in  prayer  and  chanting,  and  had 
yielded  to  the  magic  of  the  weird  unmelodious 
strains  of  the  orchestra,  eight  of  the  dervishes 
rose,  and  passing  ceremoniously  in  a  continuous 
line  around  the  hall,  each  in  turn  stopped  as  he 
approached  the  arch  where  their  chief  sat  enrapt 
in  passive  contemplation  to  bow  with  great 
dignity  to  the  one  in  front,  who  simultaneously 
turned  and  bowed  to  the  one  who  followed.  Again 
they  bowed  before  the  recess,  and  again  before  the 
entrance,  placidly  offering  silent  reverence.  After 
repeating  this  movement  several  times,  they 
passed  one  by  one  to  near  the  centre  of  the  hall, 
and  began  to  turn  on  their  bare  feet  to  the  accom- 
paniment of  notes  that  rose  and  fell  like  the  dismal 
wail  of  wind  rushing  through  a  forest.  At  first 
their  hands  lay  crossed  over  their  bosoms,  their 
heads  bent  forward,  their  eyes  closed,  as  if  they 
were  passing  into  forgetfulness  ;  but  as  they 
turned  more  rapidly,  their  hands  extended  out- 
wards, their  skirts  spread  about  them  with  the 
centrifugal  force,  their  heads  rose  and  then  fell 
inanimately  to  one  side.  These  movements  con- 
tinued, with  only  momentary  stops,  for  nearly 
half  an  hour,  during  part  of  which  time  the 
youngest  dervish  whirled  at  the  rate  of  seventy- 
five  revolutions  to  the  minute.    Some  of  them  had 


82  ASIA  MINOR 

not  appeared  ascetic  when  first  they  entered  the 
hall ;  one  or  two  looked  as  if  they  might  awaken 
uncomfortable  feelings  if  encountered  beyond  the 
city  walls  on  a  dark  night ;  but  as  the  dance  con- 
tinued, the  faces  of  all  grew  pallid,  and  then 
assumed  the  listless  look  of  deep  abstraction,  as 
if  their  minds,  oblivious  of  the  surroundings,  had 
entered  another  realm.  At  length,  as  the  relent- 
less notes  of  the  orchestra  turned  to  minor  tones 
of  dismal  plaintiveness,  their  features  seemed 
stirred  with  ill-defined  longings,  and  at  last  ac- 
quired an  expression  of  transporting  ecstasy. 

After  a  short  interval  they  repeated  the  same 
movements,  which,  we  were  told,  were  intended  to 
symbolize  the  dependence  of  all  things  on  a  great 
central  Spirit,  about  which  all  things  turned,  and 
that  thus  they  hoped  to  enter  into  closer  accord 
with  that  Supreme  Being. 

On  the  following  night,  accompanied  again  by 
a  few  acquaintances,  I  visited  the  tekke  of  the 
Howling  Dervishes.  We  were  received  with  much 
courtesy  in  a  small  room,  where  we  were  offered 
coffee,  lemonade,  and  cigarettes ;  and,  in  remem- 
brance of  the  visit,  I  was  permitted  to  carry  away 
a  small  brass  dish  for  holding  cigarette  ashes.  We 
were  then  conducted  into  a  room  separated  from 
the  ceremonial  hall  by  a  partition  consisting  almost 
entirely  of  windows,  which  were  raised  so  that 
we  could  observe  all  the  services  while  comfort- 
ably resting  on  divans. 

As  was  the  case  in  the  tekke  of  the  Whirling 


SMYRNA  83 

Dervishes,  the  head  of  the  order  was  seated  on  a 
goatskin,  within  an  arch  at  the  end  of  the  hall 
towards  Mecca  ;  and  other  dignitaries  were  seated 
near  him  on  other  goatskins.  A  strip  of  rug, 
representing  nine  prayer  arches  like  those  in  Kir- 
shehr  rugs,  extended  from  one  side  of  the  hall  to 
the  other  ;  but  after  the  introductory  services, 
which  resembled  chanting,  had  lasted  for  half  an 
hour,  the  floor  was  cleared,  and  the  devotees 
formed  a  line  facing  their  chief.  The  chanting  was 
then  renewed  and  became  more  solemn,  more 
doleful,  until  as  their  chests  rose  and  fell  it  was 
interspersed  with  dull  moans  changing  to  pathetic 
groans.  Gradually  the  groans  grew  deeper  and 
more  ominous,  for  they  seemed  like  the  half- 
suppressed  growls  of  dogs  intermingled  with 
terrible  sighs.  With  every  utterance  the  bodies 
of  the  mystic  brotherhood  swayed  and  bent  in 
unison,  and  staggered  as  if  in  the  agony  of  con- 
vulsions. As  well-timed  as  the  baton  of  a  leader, 
a  groan  passed  from  their  frothing  lips  at  the 
climax  of  each  movement,  as  though  only  then 
could  it  escape  from  the  pent-up  fountain  of  their 
emotion.  And  still  they  had  not  endured  enough. 
Forming  two  circles,  one  within  the  other,  by 
interlocking  arms,  they  struggled  together,  and 
writhed  in  the  bitter  agony  of  their  souls,  uttering 
a  wail  of  sorrow  like  that  which  escapes  from  men 
only  when  they  have  lost  the  power  to  endure.  At 
length  they  became  more  calm,  appearing  to  pass 
into  an  ecstatic  state  ;  but  their  faces  gave  no  in- 


84  ASIA  MINOR 

dication  that  their  minds  had  any  knowledge  of 
material  things  ;  nor  did  they  seem  to  have 
found  satisfying  peace  in  whatever  realms  they 
may  have  wandered.  Finally  the  movements 
ceased  ;  the  dervishes  straightened  their  con- 
torted bodies  ;  and  as  their  eyelids  opened  wide, 
they  looked  about  them  as  if  in  surprise  and  with 
the  dim  recollection  of  some  appalling  nightmare 
still  before  them. 

It  was  with  some  relief  that  we  left  this  hall  of 
apparent  distress.  Yet  the  surroundings  appeared 
so  attractive,  as  the  silvery  blue  light  of  the  moon 
played  among  the  leaves  of  the  trees,  that  on  the 
next  afternoon  I  returned.  The  tekke  is  in  the 
heart  of  the  Turkish  quarter,  shut  in  from  the 
street  by  a  stone  wall.  The  guardian  who  re- 
ceived me  was  an  old  man  with  serene  dignity, 
with  broad  forehead  and  snow-white  beard,  wear- 
ing the  high  brown  hat  of  his  order  and  a  long 
loose  cloak  that  descended  to  his  heels.  He 
seemed  the  very  soul  of  genial  hospitality  :  he 
took  me  through  the  hall  where  the  dervishes  had 
groaned  in  tribulation  the  night  before,  then  into 
a  building  a  little  to  one  side,  where  the  tombs  of 
their  chiefs  are  surrounded  by  innumerable  candles, 
suggesting  the  eyes  of  watchers  beside  a  bier.  For 
a  moment  he  stood  apart,  gazing  silently  where 
the  dead  reposed,  while  his  face  expressed  as 
clearly  as  words  the  prayer  that  the  rahmet  of 
Allah  rest  upon  them.  We  sat  together  on  a 
bench  in  the  stone-paved  court  and  looked  at  the 


SMYRNA  85 

city  below,  which  was  too  far  away  for  us  to  hear 
its  distracting  noises,  and  over  the  blue  bay  to 
the  mountains  beyond.  We  could  communicate 
only  by  signs  ;  yet  perhaps  some  of  the  same 
feelings  animated  each.  Just  behind  us,  within 
an  iron  railing  and  partly  shaded  by  cypresses  and 
olive-trees,  some  of  the  dead  of  his  order  were 
sleeping  in  graves.  Their  presence  was  indicated 
by  carefully  chiselled  marble  headstones  ;  but 
the  flowers  that  grew  beside  them  were  so  bright, 
and  the  sun  shone  with  such  cheer,  that  it  seemed 
we  were  in  the  presence  of  life,  not  death.  An 
iron  bucket  was  resting  by  a  stone-encased  well 
in  one  corner  ;  the  branches  of  some  grape  vines, 
just  putting  forth  their  fresh  green  leaves,  were 
stretched  over  a  trellis  overhead  ;  and  the  air 
about  us  was  charged  with  the  pungent  smell  of 
cypresses  and  the  sweet  fragrance  of  roses.  Here 
was  the  inviting  repose  peculiar  to  a  southern 
land.  Every  sound,  every  element  that  could 
disturb  was  hushed.  I  was  sorry  to  leave  such  a 
peaceful  spot  and  say  good-bye  to  the  old  man 
who  so  attentively  cares  for  the  flowers,  the  grape 
vines,  and  the  olive-trees. 

The  acchvities  of  Mt.  Pagus  facing  the  city  are 
precipitous  and  rugged,  so  that  the  most  easy  way 
of  approaching  the  summit  is  by  a  detour  to  the 
west  of  the  tekkes.  Even  so,  it  is  necessary  to 
make  some  steep  ascents  before  reaching  the 
top,  as  it  is  about  six  hundred  feet  above  the 
sea.      As  the  road  chmbs  higher  the  houses  be- 


86  ASIA  MINOR 

come  more  scattered,  until  near  the  top  of  the 
ridge  there  are  only  a  very  few,  which  are  sur- 
rounded by  little  plots  of  ground  hemmed  in  by 
stone  walls.  Behind  these  walls,  arbours  of  grape 
vines  and  venerable  looking  olives  dispute  posses- 
sion with  almond  and  fig-trees.  The  decomposi- 
tion of  the  trachyte  of  which  the  ridge  is  composed 
forms  a  soil  so  well  suited  to  leguminous  plants, 
that  the  natives  raise  them  even  to  the  very  base 
of  the  wall  of  the  old  castle.  In  springtime  the 
ground  is  partly  covered  with  a  vetch  that  bears 
blue  flowers  and  is  raised  for  donkeys  and  horses, 
and  partly  with  the  "  broad  "  bean,  which  has 
thick  pods  six  or  seven  inches  long,  and  is  eaten, 
pod  and  all,  by  the  natives. 

The  highest  part  of  the  ridge  is  about  an  eighth 
of  a  mile  in  width  and  a  quarter  of  a  mile  in  length, 
extending  from  north-west  to  south-east.  It  is 
encircled  by  a  Byzantine  wall  now  largely  in  ruins. 
Near  its  centre,  where  once  stood  an  ancient 
mosque,  may  still  be  seen  part  of  the  vaulted  roof 
of  a  reservoir  built  during  the  thirteenth  century  ; 
but  an  older  and  much  more  conspicuous  object 
is  the  citadel  at  the  westerly  extremity,  which 
rests  on  foundations  laid  over  twenty  centuries 
ago.  Some  of  its  towers  have  been  destroyed  ; 
the  bust  of  Apollo,  which  once  adorned  the  prin- 
cipal entrance,  has  been  removed ;  its  walls, 
though  six  feet  thick,  are  pierced  with  holes  ;  but, 
like  some  aged  oak  shattered  by  lightning  and 
shorn  of  all  its  branches,  it  is  still  imposing  in  its 


A    cuLlUVAKli    Ol-     A    i.ARA\A.\SARY    AT    SMYRNA 


H/   V, 


ANt^iX.NT    KUAU    .NKAK     1  UK    CAKAVA.N    UKIDliE    Al    SMVK.NA 


SMYRNA  87 

decrepitude.  Evidently  the  ruins  of  still  older 
buildings  must  have  stood  near  the  top  of  Mt. 
Pagus  when  this  citadel  was  erected,  since  its 
walls,  though  consisting  principally  of  broken 
fragments  of  trachyte  cemented  together  with 
hme,  also  contain  bits  of  tile  and  pieces  of  carved 
marble  which  would  never  have  been  brought  so 
high  up  the  mountain  side  to  be  placed  in  a  wall. 

Apart  from  its  associations,  the  citadel  has  now 
little  interest,  since  it  is  merely  a  mass  of  ruins 
where  a  Turk  was  pasturing  his  sheep,  as  we 
entered  and  climbed  to  the  top  of  the  walls.  But 
the  view  from  it  is  not  only  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  along  the  western  coast  of  Asia  Minor, 
for  the  gulf,  Mt.  Sipylus,  and  the  valley  of  the 
Meles  with  its  rolling  hills  and  suburban  villas  are 
within  sight,  but  also  one  of  the  most  fascinating, 
as  the  alleys,  lanes,  and  streets  of  Smyrna  spread 
out  like  the  windings  of  a  labyrinth  viewed  from 
above. 

No  other  street  is  more  interesting  than  the  one 
extending  from  the  Turkish  quarter  across  the 
"  Caravan  "  bridge.  It  is  the  one  avenue  which 
has  endured  from  time  immemorial  the  march  of 
men  and  the  tramp  of  animals  from  the  Far  East. 
It  would  be  safe  to  affirm  that  traffickers  from 
Syria,  Mesopotamia,  Persia,  Turkestan,  India,  and 
even  farther  Asia  have  passed  over  it  with  their 
laden  camels.  Along  it  or  near  it  must  have  trod 
the  armies  of  Alexander,  of  Tamerlane,  and  the 
Knights  of  St.  John.     And  now  it  still  pulsates 


88  ASIA  MINOR 

with  the  Oriental  hfe  of  those  who,  shunning  the 
encroachments  of  the  West,  chng  to  the  traditions 
of  the  East.  Where  it  joins  the  maze  of  other 
streets  that  wind  through  the  Turkish  quarters, 
it  is  surrounded  by  khans,  at  which  strangers  from 
the  plains  and  mountains  stay  while  becoming 
acquainted  with  the  city  life.  The  paved  courts 
at  one  side  are  frequently  crowded  with  their 
carts  and  covered  arabas,  their  diminutive  don- 
keys, their  meek-looking,  humped  camels,  and 
their  big-horned,  black  water  buffalo,  among 
which  they  are  constantly  moving  while  busily 
engaged  in  accomplishing  little.  Before  the  cafes 
they  sip  their  coffee  and  smoke  their  bubbling 
narghilehs,  disdaining  almost  to  glance  at  the 
black- veiled  women,  or  even  those  tricked  out  in 
flashy  gowns  and  gaudy  jewellery,  who  pass  by. 
Near  the  bridge  the  road  is  lined  with  numerous 
smithies,  harness  shops,  grocery  stores,  and  the 
places  of  men  who  cater  especially  for  travellers 
from  the  country.  There  are  also  stands  for  serv- 
ing concentrated  coffee,  and  booths  for  drinking 
lemonade,  which  is  displayed  in  large  bottles  with 
mouths  closed  by  lemons  in  place  of  corks. 

In  the  spring  of  the  year,  when  the  rains  have 
raised  the  waters  of  the  Meles  and  covered  the 
trees  with  fresh  leaves,  the  neighbourhood  of  the 
Caravan  Bridge  is  one  of  the  most  picturesque 
parts  of  Smyrna.  On  the  north  side  of  the  bridge, 
a  seductive  tavern  stands  close  by  the  right  bank. 
It  has  an  inviting  little  garden  in  which  wicker- 


SMYRNA  89 

bottom  chairs  and  small  tables  are  scattered 
beneath  shady  trees.  On  the  south  side,  two  small 
fig-trees  are  growing  out  of  a  perpendicular  wall 
by  the  right  bank  and  interlocking  their  branches 
with  those  of  a  locust-tree  in  the  garden  above  ; 
while  on  the  opposite  bank  stately  cypresses  com- 
pletely shadow  an  old  cemetery,  from  which  rises 
the  smell  of  damp  earth  and  decaying  vegetation. 
From  a  branch  of  one  of  the  trees  overhanging  the 
water,  it  was  the  custom  once  to  hang  culprits 
with  the  quick  justice  of  martial  law,  for  this 
section  has  long  been  noted  as  being  one  of  the 
least  orderly  of  any  in  the  city. 

The  bridge  is  built  on  foundations  that  prob- 
ably belong  to  the  Roman  or  the  Greek  period  ; 
and  there  is  little  doubt  that  a  bridge  has  spanned 
the  river  at  this  point  for  over  twenty  centuries. 
But  the  present  superstructure  is  not  old,  though 
the  stones  of  which  it  is  composed  are  moss- 
covered,  and  are  worn  with  ceaseless  travel  and 
the  rush  of  waters.  There  is,  moreover,  a  ragged 
edge  to  the  uppermost  course  of  the  stones  of  the 
abutments,  and  an  irregularity  to  the  low  iron 
railing  that  rests  above  them,  which  contribute  to 
the  natural  surroundings  a  sense  of  harmony  that 
would  be  lacking  if  the  construction  were  more 
perfect. 

The  term  "  Caravan  "  was  applied  to  the  bridge 
on  account  of  the  large  number  of  caravans  which, 
before  the  construction  of  the  railways,  began  or 
ended  their  journey  near  it.     Formerly  almost  a 


90  ASIA  MINOR 

thousand  camels  crossed  it  daily  ;  and  even  now, 
during  harvest,  long  strings  of  them,  preceded  by 
a  little  donkey,  pass  regularly  while  entering  and 
leaving  the  city.  Often  they  are  seen  marching 
heavily  laden  along  the  quay,  and  even  in  Frank 
Street,  as  well  as  through  lanes  so  narrow  that, 
when  half  a  dozen  are  tied  one  behind  the  other, 
each,  except  the  leader,  instinctively  sways  his 
head  and  the  fore  part  of  his  body  in  a  direction 
opposite  to  that  which  he  is  about  to  turn,  lest  he 
be  dragged  by  the  camel  ahead  of  him  against  the 
sharp  corner  of  the  adjacent  building. 

Three-quarters  of  a  mile  beyond  Caravan  Bridge 
the  main  road  passes  a  place  called  Diana's  Bath. 
From  the  low  ground,  which  is  partly  shaded  by 
trees,  a  number  of  springs  rise,  and  overflowing 
form  a  little  lake,  where  tradition  says  Homer 
came  and  composed  his  Iliad.  Not  unlikely  this 
is  true,  since  his  name  has  persistently  been  asso- 
ciated with  this  locality.  Formerly  a  cave  was 
pointed  out  on  the  banks  of  the  Meles  as  another 
spot  where  he  was  wont  to  retire  for  reflection,  a 
circumstance  which  would  account  for  the  term 
*'  Melesigenes  "  that  was  applied  to  him  ;  and 
furthermore  his  figure  appeared  frequently  on  the 
ancient  coins  of  Smyrna.  Centuries  later,  the 
springs  were  enclosed  within  the  walls  of  a  Roman 
villa  which  contained  a  statue  of  Diana  ;  and  at 
some  period,  the  land  stretching  between  them 
and  the  city  was  a  place  of  interment  for  the 
wealthy,  as  is  evident  from  the  number  of  carved 


SMYRNA  91 

sarcophagi  that  have  been  found.  Yet  this  spot 
is  no  longer  a  home  of  the  muse,  the  abode  of 
elegant  nobles,  or  a  burial  ground  for  the  dead  ; 
the  Societe  des  Eaux  de  Smyrna  have  acquired 
possession  and,  surrounding  it  by  a  high  wall,  have 
built  over  one  of  the  springs  on  the  bank  of  the 
lake  a  pretty  pagoda  supported  by  eight  columns, 
and  conduct  the  surplus  water  to  part  of  the  city. 

Near  some  Roman  ruins,  on  slightly  higher 
ground  across  the  road,  we  found  an  encampment 
of  Yuruks,  nomads  with  Turkoman  blood  and 
gipsy  instincts,  who  own  no  land,  yet  are  rarely 
poor,  for  their  flocks  of  sheep  and  their  camels, 
which  they  employ  for  transporting  freight,  are 
sources  of  constant  profit.  They  had  come  to 
linger  for  a  few  days  on  the  outskirts  of  the  city, 
and  then  to  wander  among  the  valleys  and  the 
mountains  of  Anatolia,  with  their  black  goat's- 
hair  tents  and  their  barking  dogs.  They  were 
occupying  half  a  dozen  tents,  of  which  the  largest 
was  about  ten  feet  in  diameter  and  five  feet  high. 
Probably  most  of  the  men  were  away  with  their 
flocks,  as  only  two  or  three  were  present.  These 
were  seated  in  the  largest  tent,  indolently  watching 
the  preparations  of  their  evening  meal  over  some 
glowing  coals  ;  and,  if  the  words  they  uttered 
corresponded  with  the  expressions  of  their  faces, 
they  must  have  been  extending  an  invitation  to 
us  to  share  it  with  them,  for  no  more  hospitable 
people  live  in  Asia. 

Their  women,  unlike  true  Turks,  were  neither 


92  ASIA  MINOR 

veiled  nor  seemed  disposed  to  flee  at  our  approach  ; 
but,  on  the  contrary,  advanced  and  offered  good 
fortunes  in  exchange  for  money.  Their  finger- 
nails were  stained  with  henna  ;  their  clothes  were 
models  of  untidiness  ;  their  feet  were  only  partly 
shod.  In  one  tent,  a  woman,  old  and  ugly,  was 
tenderly  brushing  the  hair  of  a  young  child  ;  at 
the  entrance  of  another,  a  girl  of  thirteen  or  four- 
teen years  was  bathing  her  feet  and  legs,  and  con- 
tinued to  do  so  as  we  passed  with  as  little  concern 
as  though  she  were  washing  her  face  and  hands  ; 
while  out  of  another  tent  peered  the  face  of  a 
quite  young  and  pretty  girl,  who  at  once  began  to 
clamour  for  some  coins. 

As  we  returned  along  the  main  road  we  heard 
a  commotion  in  one  of  the  taverns  near  the 
Caravan  Bridge,  and  saw  a  girl  from  the  Yuruk 
camp  lustily  beating  an  improvised  instrument  of 
leather  stretched  over  the  end  of  an  earthen  vessel ; 
while  another  girl  with  tambourine  was  perform- 
ing a  dance  suggestive  of  the  danse  de  ventre 
of  Northern  Africa.  One  of  our  party,  inspired 
perhaps  by  the  barbaric  music,  began  the  move- 
ments of  a  sailor's  jig,  which  so  amused  the 
assembled  Turks  that  they  shouted  approval ; 
but  so  enraged  the  blue-eyed  dancer  that  she 
stopped,  stamped  her  bare  foot,  and  then  with 
increasing  rage  rushed  forward,  pouring  out  a 
volley  of  terrible  imprecations  as  her  eyes  dilated 
with  anger  that  was  only  partly  appeased  by  a 
handful  of  coins. 


SMYRNA  93 

A  striking  contrast  to  the  life  of  the  Yuruks, 
which  is  as  primitive  probably  as  that  of  their 
ancestors  of  thirty  or  forty  centuries  ago,  is  the 
plodding  life  of  many  thousands  now  engaged 
throughout  Asia  Minor  in  mechanically  weaving 
Oriental  carpets  or  rugs.  Once  weavers  spun 
their  own  wool,  brewed  their  own  vegetable  dyes, 
and  wove  patterns  embodying  ideal  thought  and 
subtle  s3^mbolism.  Now  in  two  large  establish- 
ments at  Smyrna,  the  weavers  tie  knots  with 
machine-spun  yarn,  which  is  coloured  with  chemi- 
cal dyes  prepared  in  the  laboratories  of  Germany, 
as  they  follow  patterns  furnished  by  their  own 
employers,  patterns  of  older  rugs  woven  in  Asia 
Minor,  Persia,  or  China,  or  new  patterns  largely 
influenced  by  European  taste.  And  when  the 
rugs  have  been  woven  and  their  surfaces  sheared, 
scraped,  and  ironed,  they  are  placed  in  vats  where 
the  crude  colours  are  softened  by  artificial  pro- 
cesses. The  weavers,  it  is  true,  are  given  regular 
employment  that  enables  them  to  be  better 
clothed  and  fed  than  were  their  ancestors,  and  un- 
doubtedly their  advancement  along  the  road  of 
Occidental  civilization  is  real  ;  but  they  are  losing 
their  artistic  perception  ;  they  no  longer  feel  the 
stimulating  influence  of  direct  contact  with  the 
elemental  forces  of  nature  ;  they  are  becoming 
mere  mechanical  drudges. 

Not  alone  the  city  of  Smyrna,  but  its  suburbs, 
also,  have  their  places  of  interest.  One  on  the 
northern  shore  of  the  gulf  is  the  picturesque  little 


94  ASIA  MINOR 

town  of  Cordelio,  which  is  reached  at  regular  hours 
by  small  steamboats  ;  another  is  the  village  of 
Bariakli,  which  lies  within  two  miles  of  some 
crumbling  walls  of  huge  blocks  of  stone  that  mark 
the  site  of  the  first  city  of  Smyrna.  Farther  to  the 
west,  a  large  tumulus  rises  over  a  vaulted  chamber, 
where  it  is  said  Jupiter  buried  Tantalus  after 
throwing  him  down  the  mountain  side,  because  he 
had  refused  to  return  his  golden  dog.  Bumabat, 
a  few  miles  north-east  of  Smyrna,  and  Buja,  a  few 
miles  to  the  south-east,  consist  largely  of  beautiful 
villas,  the  summer  homes  of  Europeans,  who  enjoy 
many  of  the  comforts  of  an  Occidental  civiliza- 
tion amidst  an  Oriental  environment. 

As  we  drove  one  afternoon  along  the  shore  to 
the  south-west  of  the  city,  we  had  an  opportunity 
to  observe  one  of  the  many  instances  of  Turkish 
administrative  inefficiency.  It  was  the  day  which 
once  a  year  the  Government  sets  apart  for  the 
extermination  of  locusts.  In  the  morning  every 
shop  was  closed,  and  we  were  told  that  any  man, 
not  a  foreigner,  found  in  the  city  would  be  placed 
under  arrest.  Some  departed  on  foot ;  some  on 
donkeys  or  horses  ;  while  others  took  a  train  or 
boat.  The  Bey  accompanied  us  to  show  the  way 
to  some  hills  where  he  expected  to  find  many  of 
his  people  industriously  employed  ;  but  even  he 
had  miscalculated  their  energy.  Most  of  them 
had  not  reached  the  place  before  ten  ;  at  noon 
they  sat  down  to  eat  lunch  and  take  a  long,  long 
rest ;  and  at  half-past  two  we  met  them  leisurely 


SMYRNA  95 

returning  to  the  city.  We  were  too  late  to  see  them 
at  work,  but  as  we  passed  through  a  grove  of  oHves, 
one  of  which  had  a  diameter  of  nearly  six  feet  at 
the  base  and  was  as  rent  and  twisted  as  if  it  had 
struggled  with  the  storms  of  centuries,  and  climbed 
the  hills  where  they  had  been  engaged,  we  saw 
countless  thousands  of  young  locusts  they  had 
overlooked  ;  and  with  the  next  strong  wind  from 
the  south  we  knew  myriads  would  come  to  take 
the  place  of  the  few  that  had  been  killed. 

Whoever  visits  Smyrna  with  the  hope  of  finding 
important  remains  of  the  days  of  Lysimachus  or 
the  early  Christians  will  be  disappointed,  as  all 
the  public  buildings  of  that  time  have  disappeared. 
Bits  of  broken  masonry  a  quarter  of  a  mile  to  the 
south-west  of  the  prison,  and  between  the  Turkish 
cemetery  and  the  shore,  are  believed  to  be  the 
traces  of  what  were  once  the  temples  of  iEsculapius 
and  Vesta  ;  but  the  sites  of  the  other  temples  are 
unknown.  Nor  is  it  possible  to  distinguish  more 
of  the  stadium — which  had  long  tiers  of  marble 
seats— than  some  ruins,  a  little  over  a  quarter  of  a 
mile  to  the  west  of  the  acropohs  ;  and  a  tomb 
within  them,  which  according  to  tradition  is  the 
burial  place  of  Polycarp.  The  ancient  theatre, 
which  was  one-eighth  of  a  mile  north  of  the  acro- 
polis, and  much  below  it  in  elevation,  was  so  large 
that  it  was  capable  of  holding  twenty  thousand 
people  ;  but  now  its  only  vestige  is  the  well-known 
Turkish  haunt,  the  Vizier  Khan,  which  in  the  last 
part  of  the  seventeenth  century  was  built  with 


96  ASIA  MINOR 

some  of  the  stone  taken  from  it.  But  though  so 
Httle  of  the  ancient  city  can  be  identified,  though 
much  of  its  early  history  is  uncertain,  the  traveller 
may  rest  assured,  as  he  wanders  about  it,  that  he 
is  treading  the  same  ground  and  looking  at  the 
same  gulf  and  encircling  mountains  as  did  Alex- 
ander and  Tamerlane,  and  probably  Croesus  and 
Homer,  and  the  apostles  Paul  and  John,  as  well 
as  other  men  who  have  left  immortal  names. 


CHAPTER  V 

THE    VALLEY   OF   THE   CAICUS  :     PERGAMUS 

IN  a  little  more  than  a  century,  a  stone-walled 
village  covering  about  ten  acres  of  land 
grew  to  be   the  most  important  capital  of 

Western  Asia.  It  was  Pergamus,  where 
the  heirs  of  a  flute-player  ruled  in  royal  magnifi- 
cence. 

Of  the  cities  of  the  "  Seven  Churches  of  Asia," 
Pergamus  alone  is  inconvenient  to  reach.  It  is  in 
the  valley  of  the  Caicus,  only  eighteen  miles  from 
the  JEgea.n  shore,  and  just  fifty  miles  in  a  direct 
line  due  north  of  Smyrna  ;  yet  it  seems  many 
times  as  far  to  the  stranger  unaccustomed  to 
Oriental  modes  of  travel.  Bergama,  the  name  of 
the  modern  city,  which  includes  some  of  its  ruins, 
may  be  approached  either  from  the  sea  by  taking 
a  small  boat  from  Smyrna  to  Chanderli,  passing  in 
sight  of  the  old  Ionian  city  of  Phocaea,  the  parent 
of  Marseilles,  and  then  driving  up  the  valley 
of  the  Caicus,  or  by  the  railway  that  extends 
from  Smyrna  to  Panderma,  on  the  southern  shore 
of  the  Sea  of  Marmora,  and  from  the  station  of 
Soma,  which  is  about  midway,  driving  down  the 
valley.     Each  of  these  routes  has  its  unpleasant 

H  97 


98  ASIA  MINOR 

features  as  well  as  advantages  ;    the  steamboat 
frequently  has  a  provoking  way  of  not  arriving  at 
the  appointed  time  ;   and  the  journey  by  railway 
to  Soma  from  either  Smyrna  or  Panderma  re- 
quires at  least  half  a  day  ;   and  then  six  or  eight 
hours  more  are  consumed  in  driving  down  the 
valley  by  carriage,  unless  the  motor-car — which 
was   laid   up   for   repairs   when   we   particularly 
wanted    it — ^is    in    service.      Furthermore,    it    is 
generally  necessary  to  pass  the  night  in  either 
Chanderli  or  Soma,  which  are  far  from  attractive 
places  for  one  who  is  hungry  and  tired.    But,  on 
the  other  hand,  if  the  journey  is  made  in  the 
spring  of  the  year,  the  valleys  are  radiant  with 
bright  wild  flowers,  birds  utter  their  tremulous 
love-songs  among  the  bushes,  and  the  trees  of  the 
encircling  hills  are  covered  with  fresh  green  leaves. 
When  at  length  Bergama  is  reached,  it  appears 
not  unlike  many  other  cities  of  Asia  Minor  that 
the  ways   of  modern  civilization   have   not  yet 
entered.    It  has  numerous  mosques  conspicuously 
free  from  artistic  ornamentation  ;    dirty  streets, 
through  which  lines  of  camels  tramp  ;    a  bazaar, 
where   half-occupied   merchants   watch   in   little 
stalls  ;   and  unattractive  houses,  where  its  popu- 
lation  of   fully   twenty   thousand   live   in   utter 
ignorance  for  the  most  part  of  any  world  beyond 
the  hills  that  surround  them  and  the  blue  sea  in 
the  distance.    But  on  the  other  hand,  unlike  most 
other  cities  of  Asia,  it  contains  many  ruins  of  the 
clays  when  the  land  it  occupies  was  part  of  a 


A    LOOM    Al     SMYRNA 


^S^SaJARKHOUSK    AT   THK    S'lAlluN    "I     AK-IIIsSAK 


THE  VALLEY  OF  THE  CAICUS        99 

Roman  province.  It  would  seem  that  to  a  large 
extent  the  Romans  ignored  the  public  buildings 
of  their  Greek  predecessors,  near  at  hand,  for  they 
constructed  their  own  theatre,  a  stadium  and 
extensive  baths,  and  erected  an  amphitheatre 
over  a  small  stream,  which  at  times  was  dammed 
to  turn  the  arena  into  a  diminutive  lake  where 
mimic  sea  battles  took  the  place  of  fighting  gladi- 
ators. Parts  of  each  of  these  buildings  remain. 
Yet  all  Bergama  contains  has  little  to  awaken  the 
interest  of  the  visitor  compared  with  the  still 
imposing  ruins  of  the  ancient  city,  which  lingers 
in  silent  desolation  on  the  hill  to  the  north  of  it. 
But  to  appreciate  fully  its  former  magnificence, 
he  must  have  some  knowledge  of  its  history. 

Whenever  the  Greek  colonists  settled  on  the 
coast  of  Asia  Minor,  they  selected,  as  a  site  for 
their  future  cities,  some  fertile  valley  near  the  sea. 
One  of  these  valleys,  lying  to  the  east  of  the  island 
of  Lesbos,  is  watered  by  the  river  Caicus,  which 
has  a  total  length  of  about  sixty  miles  ;  yet  in  its 
short  course  it  has  so  chiselled  the  hills,  and  brought 
down  such  rich  soil  from  the  mountains  above, 
that  the  valley  has  been  pronounced  one  of  the 
most  beautiful  and  productive  in  all  that  land. 

Near  the  centre  of  this  valley  a  ridge  of  trachyte, 
with  two  abrupt  sides  and  rounded  top,  rises  nine 
hundred  feet  above  the  river,  and  is  partly  sur- 
rounded by  much  smaller  streams,  the  Selinus 
and  Cetius,  which  flow  into  it.  As  such  a  ridge 
could  be  easily  fortified,  and  as  it  overlooked  a 


% 


100  ASIA  MINOR 

valley  with  abundance  of  running  water,  some  of 
the  earliest  colonists  seized  it  and  built  on  its 
summit  houses  of  stone.  In  later  centuries,  when 
its  walls  were  extended,  it  became  known  as  Per- 
gamus,  to  which  Pliny  referred  as  the  "  most 
celebrated  city  in  Asia,"  a  city  whose  people  in- 
vented parchment  ;  erected  a  temple  to  ^scula- 
pius,  where  invalids  from  all  countries  might 
receive  treatment  from  its  priest-physicians ; 
established  a  school  of  literature  and  philosophy, 
where  sages  gathered  to  study  and  teach  beneath 
its  groves  ;  and  founded  a  library  that  rivalled 
the  one  at  Alexandria.  During  the  height  of  its 
power  it  surpassed  in  splendour  every  other 
Greek  colony  in  Asia,  and  was  still  an  important 
city  when  addressed  by  St.  John  in  the  Apoca- 
lypse. 

As  is  the  case  of  most  ancient  cities,  the  circum- 
stances of  its  origin  are  shrouded  in  mystery ;  but 
unlike  them,  it  did  not  rise  to  greatness  till  nearly 
the  beginning  of  the  second  century  B.C.,  and  was 
at  its  zenith  for  only  a  very  short  time.  The  poets 
used  to  tell  how  it  was  founded  by  some  Arcadians 
led  by  Telephus,  son  of  Hercules,  who  was  reared 
by  a  hind  after  being  exposed  to  die  by  his  grand- 
father, and  when  grown  to  manhood  left  his  home 
in  Arcadia  for  Mysia,  at  the  instance  of  the  Delphic 
oracle.  Even  its  name,  which  is  also  of  uncertain 
origin,  being  attributed  by  some  to  Pergamus,  son 
of  Pyrrhus,  and  by  others  to  the  Greek  Ilypyo?,  a 
tower,  affords  little  assistance  in  unraveUing  its 


THE  VALLEY  OF  THE  CAICUS      loi 

earliest  history.  The  first  authentic  records  refer 
to  the  beginning  of  the  fourth  century  B.C.,  when 
it  was  already  a  very  old  city,  though  it  occupied 
only  a  limited  area  on  the  summit  of  the  ridge. 
At  that  time  an  army  of  Lacedaemonians,  aided 
by  the  Greeks  who  had  made  the  famous  retreat 
under  Xenophon,  were  fighting  in  the  valley  of  the 
Caicus  to  expel  the  Persian  satrap  Tissaphernes. 
But  it  was  only  after  the  distribution  of  the 
empire  of  Alexander,  at  his  death  in  323  B.C.,  and 
the  acquisition  of  this  part  of  Asia  by  his  general 
Lysimachus,  that  it  came  into  prominence. 

As  Lysimachus  was  constantly  engaged  in  wars 
to  maintain  and  extend  his  empire,  he  deposited 
his  accumulated  treasure,  amounting  to  nine 
thousand  talents,  in  the  stronghold  of  the  acro- 
polis, under  the  guardianship  of  Philetserus,  the 
son  of  a  flute-player.  Some  years  later,  after  the 
death  of  Lysimachus,  Philetaerus  made  use  of  this 
treasure  and  his  position  to  seize  the  government 
of  Pergamus,  which  he  exercised  with  such  pru- 
dence that  at  his  death,  twenty  years  later,  he  was 
able  to  transmit  to  his  nephew,  Eumenes  I,  a  city 
that  had  grown  to  considerable  importance. 

Another  nephew.  Attains  I,  ruled  from  241  to 
197  B.C.  with  such  efficiency  that  Pergamus, 
which  had  hitherto  controlled  only  the  valley  of 
the  Caicus,  became  the  capital  of  a  kingdom  in- 
cluding a  large  part  of  the  western  coast  of  Asia 
Minor.  He  assumed  the  title  of  king,  and  began 
the  construction  of  buildings  which  were  to  make 


102  ASIA  MINOR 

the  city  the  most  beautiful  and  noted  in  Asia 
Minor. 

It  was,  however,  during  the  reign  of  his  son, 
Eumenes  II,  from  197  to  159  B.C.,  that  the  city 
reached  the  zenith  of  its  power  and  splendour,  and 
became  politically  the  mistress  of  almost  all  Asia 
Minor.  Sculptors  were  invited  there  to  celebrate 
in  marble  the  achievements  of  the  king  ;  and 
scholars  were  attracted  to  study  in  its  library,  in 
which  were  collected  two  hundred  thousand 
volumes.  During  this  short  period  it  was  cele- 
brated throughout  the  world  for  the  magnificence 
of  its  public  buildings,  for  the  energy  and  capacity 
of  its  people,  and  as  a  centre  of  art,  science,  and 
philosophy.  But  neither  Attains  II  nor  Attains 
III,  who  in  turn  succeeded  to  the  throne,  con- 
tributed much  to  its  glory  ;  and  when,  in  133 
B.C.,  the  erratic  Attains  III  died,  he  bequeathed  it 
to  the  Roman  Empire.  For  a  century  longer  it 
flourished,  then  gradually  declined. 

The  ridge  on  which  the  ancient  Pergamus  stood 
has  a  contour  that  is  irregularly  elliptical,  the 
direction  of  the  main  axis  being  from  a  little  to 
the  west  of  north  to  the  east  of  south.  It  has  a 
breadth  near  the  base  of  about  three-quarters  of  a 
mile,  and  a  length  about  twice  as  great.  The 
geographer  Strabo  described  this  ridge  as  a 
mountain  with  the  shape  of  a  pine-apple  ending  in 
a  sharp  summit.  The  oldest  part  of  the  city  was 
built  on  this  summit,  as  far  to  the  north  as  it  ever 
reached,  for  as  the  city  grew  it  extended  south- 


THE  VALLEY  OF  THE  CAICUS      103 

ward,  though  it  was  only  in  the  days  of  the 
Romans  that  it  crossed  the  banks  of  the  Sehnus 
and  spread  over  part  of  the  plain  at  the  base. 

When  Lysimachus  took  Pergamus,  about  the 
year  300  B.C.,  it  was  little  more  than  a  village 
crowded  for  safety  into  a  space  about  eight 
hundred  feet  long  by  five  hundred  feet  wide,  and 
surrounded  by  a  stone  wall,  beyond  which  prob- 
ably lay  a  few  houses.  Nevertheless,  the  strength 
of  its  fortress,  so  far  above  the  valley,  was  suf- 
ficient to  assure  him  a  safe  depository  for  his 
treasure.  During  the  following  century,  under 
the  rule  of  Philetserus  and  his  two  nephews,  an 
agora,  or  market-place,  was  built  for  the  people 
near  the  citadel ;  the  city  descended  on  the  south 
side  much  lower  down  the  hill,  and  was  protected 
by  a  new  wall  that  encircled  a  space  three  times  the 
size  of  the  old  enclosure.  And  still  the  population 
increased  so  rapidly  that  when  Eumenes  II  made 
Pergamus  the  capital  of  Asia  Minor  in  the  first  half 
of  the  second  century  B.C.,  even  this  wall  was 
found  too  restricted,  so  he  erected  another,  that 
very  much  enlarged  the  area  to  the  south-east, 
south,  and  west.  As  the  growth  of  the  city  was 
constantly  in  a  southerly  direction,  towards  lower 
levels,  many  of  the  people,  who  felt  they  belonged 
essentially  to  the  city,  undoubtedly  had  homes 
and  little  plots  of  land  in  the  valley,  which  they 
sowed  with  grain  or  planted  with  orchards.  Yet  it 
would  be  wrong  to  suppose  that  during  the  expan- 
sion southward  the  old  parts  were  neglected,  since 


104  ASIA  MINOR 

it  was  on  the  eminences  that  the  magnificent 
pubHc  buildings  were  constructed,  buildings  such 
as  the  gymnasium,  the  temples,  the  theatre,  the 
palace  and  the  great  altar,  as  well  as  the  porticoes 
of  the  agora,  to  which  the  people,  young  and  old, 
regularly  went,  climbing  the  paved  ways  from 
below. 

From  the  principal  gateway,  between  two 
towers  that  stood  at  the  most  southerly  extremity 
of  the  wall  of  Eumenes  II,  two  streets  wound  up 
the  hill,  one  to  the  east  and  one  to  the  west, 
The  one  to  the  west  is  still  hidden  beneath  the 
accumulated  debris  of  centuries.  Near  the  one 
that  turns  to  the  east,  and  at  a  distance  of  three 
or  four  hundred  feet  from  the  gateway,  the  hill 
was  cut  away  to  form  a  terrace,  on  which,  in  the 
days  of  Eumenes  II,  was  built  an  agora  of  rect- 
angular shape  with  a  length  of  about  two  hundred 
and  fifty  feet  and  a  breadth  of  one  hundred  and 
eighty.  It  had  a  paved  and  uncovered  court, 
surrounded  by  rooms  or  halls,  which  on  three 
sides  opened  on  to  porticoes  with  Doric  columns. 
Here  the  people  of  the  lower  part  of  the  city  met 
as  in  a  public  plaza  ;  and  here,  as  well  as  among 
the  small  shops  that  extended  beyond  it  along 
the  hill,  they  bought  and  sold,  exchanged  and 
haggled,  as  peasants  do  now  in  the  open  markets 
of  the  towns  and  villages  of  Europe. 

Farther  to  the  north-east,  at  about  one-third 
the  height  from  the  plain  to  the  summit,  the  wind- 
ing pavement  leads  to  a  vaulted  gateway  in  the 


THE  VALLEY  OF  THE  CAICUS      105 

second  oldest  wall,  which  is  of  special  interest,  as 
vaulted  structures  were  rarely  employed  by  the 
Greeks  at  such  an  early  period ;  and  a  little 
farther  it  passes  a  marble  fountain  sixty-five  feet 
long,  which  was  once  surmounted  by  a  colonnade. 
From  the  gateway  steps  and  a  narrow  street 
ascended  to  the  gymnasium,  which  because  of  the 
limitations  of  available  space,  and  also  in  order 
that  the  exercise  of  the  younger  children  might 
not  be  hampered  by  the  presence  of  older  ones, 
was  divided  into  three  parts,  each  on  a  separate 
terrace  cut  out  of  sohd  rock.  Children  and  youths 
had  their  sports  on  the  two  lower  terraces  ;  while 
the  young  men  exercised  in  a  much  larger  space, 
about  one  hundred  and  ten  yards  long  by  ninety 
yards  wide,  on  the  upper  terrace. 

In  the  part  of  the  gymnasium  allotted  to  young 
men,  pedestals  and  broken  shafts  occupy  the 
ground  where  beautiful  columns  once  stood  ;  the 
walls  have  fallen  ;  and  here  and  there  along  the 
terrace  are  fragments  of  carved  marble  carefully 
assembled  by  the  last  excavators.  And  yet 
enough  of  the  gymnasium  remains  to  reconstruct 
its  essential  features,  which  show  the  great  impor- 
tance the  Greeks  attached  to  their  physical 
development  and  mental  culture.  A  large  open 
court  faced  the  valley  to  the  south-east.  It  con- 
tained stone  benches  and  numerous  statues,  and 
was  completely  surrounded  by  porticoes  with 
marble  columns,  which  originally  had  the  carving 
of  the  Doric  school,  but  during  the  Roman  period 


io6  ASIA  MINOR 

were  changed  to  the  more  elaborate  Corinthian. 
Several  chambers  occupied  the  space  at  its  eastern 
end  ;  and  a  long  hall  with  marble  basins  for 
bathing  extended  the  full  length  of  the  western 
end.  Doubtless  the  most  ornamental  part  was  on 
the  northern  side,  where  a  portico  extended  in 
front  of  a  gallery  reserved  for  assemblies  or 
banquets,  with  a  smaller  room  known  as  the 
"  King's  Hall  "  on  the  left,  and  a  semicircular 
room  with  seats  arranged  as  in  a  theatre  and 
capable  of  holding  a  thousand  people  to  the  right. 
Probably  most  of  the  exercises,  such  as  hurling 
the  disc,  wrestling  and  boxing,  occurred  in  the 
open  air  of  the  large  central  court ;  but  the  foot- 
races were  run  in  a  vaulted  stadium,  about  an 
eighth  of  a  mile  in  length,  which  was  between  this 
terrace  and  the  one  below  it. 

The  remains  of  other  public  buildings,  such  as 
the  temples  of  ^Esculapius  and  Hera,  erected  by 
the  Greeks  ;  and  some  Roman  baths,  constructed 
at  a  much  later  period,  surround  the  gymnasium. 
At  a  slightly  higher  elevation,  the  winding  street 
passes  a  rectangular  shaped  terrace,  with  propy- 
laeum  of  marble  columns,  which  contains  a  temple 
dedicated  to  Demeter,  goddess  of  the  fruits  of  the 
earth.  But  the  ruins  that  lie  higher  up  the  hill,  for 
a  distance  of  some  two  hundred  and  fifty  yards, 
are  as  yet  unexcavated  ;  and  even  the  direction 
of  the  streets  that  lead  to  the  acropoHs  is  unknown. 

However  fascinating  to  the  archaeologist  these 
ruins  may  be,  it  was  on  the  crest  of  the  hill,  on 


THE  VALLEY  OF  THE  CAICUS      107 

terrace  rising  above  terrace,  that  the  monuments 
of  the  greatness  and  magnificence  of  Pergamus 
stood.  The  upper  agora,  which  was  surrounded 
by  marble  prostyles,  was  near  the  most  southerly 
extremity  of  this  crest,  at  an  elevation  of  about 
eight  hundred  and  fifty  feet  above  the  sea.  From 
this  great  breathing  spot  of  the  city,  narrow  streets 
wound  to  right  and  left.  One  passed  the  small 
marble  temple  of  Dionysus,  fashioned  after  the 
Doric  style  of  architecture,  but  showing  signs  of 
transition  to  the  Ionic.  Climbing  forty- three  feet 
it  came  to  the  terrace  on  which  the  great  altar  of 
Zeus  was  erected  ;  and  at  an  altitude  of  fifty  feet 
more,  where  now  are  only  broken  columns  and  a 
Byzantine  church,  it  reached  the  principal  sanc- 
tuary of  the  ancient  city,  the  temple  of  Athene, 
erected  before  the  days  of  the  AttaUd  dynasty. 
At  almost  the  same  altitude  another  street  passed 
the  famous  library  that  Antony  despoiled  to 
present  its  manuscripts  to  Cleopatra  ;  and  ap- 
proaching the  eastern  side  of  the  hill  it  came  to 
the  palace  of  Eumenes  II,  which,  if  one  may  judge 
by  what  is  left  of  a  beautiful  mosaic  pavement 
from  one  of  its  rooms,  was  without  a  doubt  worthy 
of  the  grandeur  of  its  surroundings.  A  Roman 
temple  adorned  with  Corinthian  columns  and 
dedicated  to  Trajan  stood  on  the  highest  point  of 
the  ridge,  looking  to  the  south-west  over  the  upper- 
most seats  of  the  theatre,  which  rested  against  the 
side  of  the  hill  at  an  altitude  only  a  little  less  than 
that  of  the  agora.    And  at  one  time  a  royal  garden 


io8  ASIA  MINOR 

occupied  the  most  northern  extremity  of  the  sum- 
mit, a  httle  to  the  west  of  the  stone  aqueduct 
which  with  inverted  siphons  brought  water  from 
a  mountain  twenty  miles  to  the  north.  One  may 
almost  imagine  this  scene  of  pagan  splendour  ; 
and  yet  the  walls  give  back  no  echo  of  voices  or  of 
the  tread  of  footsteps  ;  over  all  rests  a  silence 
hardly  disturbed  by  the  confused  noises  of  the 
modern  city  below. 

Wandering  among  the  broken  piles  and  frag- 
ments of  marble  is  like  treading  the  paths  of  a 
deserted  graveyard,  where  the  spirit  of  solitude 
broods  amid  tokens  of  mortality.  There  are,  how- 
ever, two  ruins  that  attract  with  a  curious  fascina- 
tion :  the  theatre  and  the  great  altar  of  Zeus,  the 
places  of  diversion  and  of  worship.  The  theatre 
is  built  on  a  terrace,  which  extends  along  the 
westerly  side  of  the  hill  in  a  north-westerly  direc- 
tion from  the  agora.  Remnants  of  the  stone  seats 
are  still  in  place  resting  against  the  hill,  which 
naturally  curves  inward  at  this  point.  They 
spread  out  like  a  fan  to  a  maximum  breadth  of 
about  one  hundred  and  sixty  feet  ;  and  as  they 
rose  to  a  height  of  about  one  hundred  and  thirty- 
four  feet  above  the  orchestra,  people  occupying 
the  upper  seats,  though  far  removed  from  the 
actors,  enjoyed  a  view  of  exceptional  grandeur. 
Without  a  doubt  the  theatre  has  been  remodelled 
more  than  once,  for  the  scena  was  originally  of 
wood,  as  was  the  case  in  the  very  oldest  Greek 
theatres,  but  later  was  changed  to  stone  ;    and 


THE  VALLEY  OF  THE  CAICUS      109 

also  about  the  time  of  Eumenes  H  a  row  of  apart- 
ments surmounted  by  a  portico  was  built  along 
the  outer  face  of  the  terrace. 

Great  as  were  these  architectural  achievements, 
the  finest  sculpturing  is  from  the  great  altar,  built 
probably  by  Eumenes  H  to  celebrate  his  defeat 
of  the  Gauls.  Its  foundation,  which  rested  on  a 
terrace,  was  about  one  hundred  and  twenty  feet 
square  at  the  base,  with  sides  facing  the  four 
cardinal  points  of  the  compass.  What  remains  of 
it  is  now  only  crumbhng  stonework,  which  seems 
from  a  distance  like  the  squares  of  a  chess- 
board, but  it  consisted  of  a  network  of  intersecting 
walls  with  intervening  spaces  filled  with  earth. 
This  foundation  supported  a  paved  court  sur- 
rounded on  three  sides  by  an  Ionic  portico,  and 
on  the  remaining  south  side,  where  a  broad  stair- 
case approached  it,  by  wings  of  the  portico  extend- 
ing to  the  stairs.  In  the  middle  of  the  court 
rose  a  high  sacrificial  altar,  the  essential  objective 
of  this  massive  structure,  yet  insignificant  in  com- 
parison with  the  opulence  of  artistic  workmanship 
that  surrounded  it. 

The  real  glory  of  the  great  altar,  which  sets  it 
apart  from  all  others  as  a  masterstroke  of  Grecian 
genius,  are  its  friezes.  The  smaller  one  was  on  the 
inside  of  the  portico,  where  events  in  the  life  of 
Telephus,  the  legendary  founder  of  Pergamus,  were 
portrayed.  The  sculpturing  represented  Apollo 
warning  the  Arcadian  king,  Aleus,  of  the  misfortune 
to  befall  his  house  through  the  indiscretion  of  his 


no  ASIA  MINOR 

daughter  Auge  ;  Hercules  discovering  Auge 
beneath  an  oak  ;  the  exposure  of  their  illegitimate 
son,  Telephus,  in  a  grove  ;  and  the  banishment  of 
Auge,  who  drifted  in  a  boat  to  Asia  Minor,  where 
she  was  adopted  by  King  Teuthras.  Other  frag- 
ments of  the  frieze  depicted  part  of  the  ship  in 
which  Telephus  sailed  to  Asia  Minor  ;  his  recep- 
tion by  the  same  king  ;  his  discovery  that  Auge, 
whom  he  was  about  to  marry,  was  his  mother  ; 
and  how  he  attacked  the  Greeks  on  their  way  to 
Troy,  and  becoming  entangled  in  a  grape  vine,  was 
fatally  wounded  by  Achilles. 

These  and  other  events  were  represented  on  this 
interior  frieze  with  much  spirit ;  but  the  finest 
sculpturing  was  on  the  great  exterior  frieze,  of 
which  much  was  destroyed  during  the  Byzantine 
period,  and  the  remainder  was  removed  since  the 
excavation  of  the  ruins  to  the  Royal  Museum  in 
Berlin.  It  consisted  of  blue-white  marble  slabs 
seven  feet  high  on  which  the  battle  of  the  gods  and 
giants,  as  related  in  the  Theogony  of  Hesiod,  was 
illustrated  in  bold  relief.  Uranus,  god  of  the 
heavens,  and  Ge,  who  by  him  became  the  mother 
of  the  Titans,  appear  on  the  extant  slabs.  Of  their 
six  sons,  Oceanus  alone  is  recognized  ;  but  five  of 
their  daughters  are  seen  fighting  against  the 
giants.  One  of  these  is  Rhea,  the  mother  of 
mighty  Zeus,  who  also  appears  bearing  on  his  left 
arm  the  aegis,  while  with  the  right  he  hurls  a 
thunderbolt  against  the  giant  Porphyrion.  Other 
slabs  represent  Demeter  and  Hera,  the  sisters  of 


THE  VALLEY  OF  THE  CAICUS      iii 

Zeus,  as  well  as  his  children,  Artemis  and  Apollo, 
armed  with  bows  and  arrows  ;  Hebe  driving  four 
winged  steeds  ;  Athena  dragging  a  giant  by  his 
hair,  and  powerful  Hercules.  There  were  also 
depicted  numerous  other  gods  and  heroes,  the 
Winds,  the  Furies,  Night  and  constellations  of  the 
heavens,  all  mingled  in  such  terrific  conflict  that 
"  lofty  Olympus  was  shaken  from  its  base,  and  the 
huge  disturbance  reached  to  Tartarus." 

The  names  of  the  sculptors  were  engraved  on 
the  frieze,  but  most  of  them  have  been  lost.  They 
were  doubtless  the  foremost  of  their  age,  since  in 
the  expressive  action  which  animates  each  of  the 
many  figures,  in  the  delicacy  of  the  outlines,  and 
in  the  boldness  of  the  execution,  the  work  might 
well  be  classed  as  one  of  the  marvels  of  Hellenic 
art. 

So  far  are  we  removed  in  time  and  civilization 
from  those  ancient  days  that  it  is  difficult  to 
realize  the  life  of  the  people  of  Pergamus  or  the 
appearance  of  their  magnificently  pagan  city. 
Yet  out  of  the  dusk  of  more  than  twenty  centuries 
a  vision,  though  imperfect,  seems  to  rise  from  these 
silent  stones.  We  may  almost  see  Eumenes  H, 
royally  clad,  crossing  the  mosaic  floor  of  his  palace, 
and  from  its  entrance  glancing  to  the  south  and 
east,  where  the  provinces  of  his  recently  acquired 
kingdom  stretch  far  beyond  the  Cetius.  About 
him  rise  imposing  monuments  :  a  library,  stoae  and 
temples,  expressing  the  highest  ideals  of  archi- 
tectural beauty  in  their  perfect  proportions,  in 


112  ASIA  MINOR 

their  delicate  carving,  and  in  the  chaste  colour 
of  their  glittering  white  marble.  With  a  few 
retainers  he  passes  slowly  along  the  upper  terrace, 
by  a  wondrous  statue  of  the  dying  Gaul,  and 
beneath  the  columns  of  the  temple  of  Athene  ; 
then  descends  in  the  shade  of  cypresses  to  the 
great  altar  of  Zeus,  which  his  sculptors  have  just 
completed. 

The  city  below  is  in  commotion,  for  it  is  a  holi- 
day. Groups  of  people  in  light-coloured  robes 
wander  by  the  streams  ;  others  are  climbing  the 
narrow,  stone-paved  streets  to  the  agora.  A  few 
pause  to  quench  their  thirst  at  the  public  fountain 
before  entering  the  gymnasium  to  watch  the  oldest 
youths  competing  for  a  wreath.  Some  loiter  in  the 
porticoes  to  talk  of  recent  conquests  ;  some  climb 
higher  to  witness  the  sacrifice  of  a  garlanded  ox 
on  the  altar.  The  smoke  rises  ;  and  as  it  floats 
away,  king,  priests,  and  subjects  cross  the  terrace 
and  take  their  seats  in  the  theatre. 

Perhaps  they  are  listening  to  some  old  play  of 
Sophocles  or  Euripides,  perhaps  watching  the 
rhythmic  movements  of  lithe  forms  ;  but  now 
and  then  the  eyes  of  those  who  occupy  the  highest 
tiers  of  seats,  almost  too  distant  to  hear  what  is 
uttered  below,  wander  away  to  another  scene. 
It  is  the  valley  of  the  Caicus,  where  the  river  winds 
slowly  to  the  sea.  Plane-trees  and  willows  grow 
on  its  banks  ;  and  on  the  encirchng  hills  are  grape 
vines  and  olives.  Among  the  rocky  places  boys 
are  lazily  following  their  goats  as  they  pipe  some 


^■*(^.       A    STKICKT     IN    AlC-HISSAU 


THE  VALLEY  OF  THE  CAICUS      113 

simple  air  on  flute-like  reeds.  Here  and  there 
men  are  tilling  the  rich,  dark  earth  with  big- 
horned  bullocks  ;  and  along  the  grey  roads  other 
men  are  leading  trains  of  laden  camels,  while  they 
chant  a  droning  song.  Things  animate  as  well  as 
inanimate  are  bathed  in  the  ineffable  calm  of  a 
peaceful  dream,  for  over  all  hangs  the  mysterious 
spirit  of  the  East,  charming  and  intoxicating  with 
a  subtle,  elusive  power  that  leads  to  the  brink  of 
another  world.  And  now  when  the  last  applause 
has  cheered  the  actors  and  the  people  arise  to 
return  to  their  homes,  the  mountains  are  tinted  a 
purple  with  the  Hght  of  the  waning  day  ;  and  the 
grey  haze  of  the  farthest  stretches  of  the  valley 
quivers  with  rays  of  the  red  sun  as  it  sinks  into  the 
sea. 


CHAPTER  VI 

THE  VALLEY  OF  THE  HERMUS  :     MANISA  (MAGNESIA 

AD  sipylum),  ak-hissar  (thyateira),  SARDIS, 

ALA-SHEHR  (PHILADELPHIA) 

THE  valley  of  the  Hermus  is  about  thirty 
miles  south  of  the  valley  of  the  Caicus  ; 
it  is  also  much  longer,  as  it  stretches 
eastward  from  the  ^Egean  Sea  for  over 
a  hundred  miles  till  it  is  lost  in  the  Phrygian 
mountains.  Few  other  parts  of  Asia  Minor  are 
more  fertile  ;  few  are  richer  in  historic  associa- 
tions. In  the  remote  past  it  supported  a  large 
population,  part  of  which  inhabited  a  number  of 
ancient  cities  that  call  up  memories  associated 
with  the  teachings  of  childhood :  Magnesia, 
Thyateira,  Sardis,  and  Philadelphia,  though  the 
modern  cities  that  have  sprung  up  near  their  ruins 
no  longer  bear  these  classic  names.  It  has  also 
witnessed  the  march  of  Hittites,  Phrygians, 
Lydians,  Persians,  Greeks,  Romans,  and  Tartars, 
and  again  and  again  its  hills  have  echoed  the 
clash  of  conflicting  armies. 

It  is   still   possible   to   reach  the   valley  from 
Smyrna  by  riding  through  a   depression  in   the 

114 


THE  VALLEY  OF  THE  HERMUS     115 

Sipylus  range  which  leads  directly  to  Manisa,  or 
by  following  the  tracks  of  the  Royal  Road  along 
its  southern  flank  and  over  a  low  divide.  But 
most  of  the  travel  is  by  a  railway,  which  passing 
around  the  western  end  of  the  range  traverses  the 
main  valley  eastward  and  crosses  the  Phrygian 
mountains  to  Aiium  Kara-hissar,  and  which  also 
connects  at  Manisa  with  the  branch  that  extends 
northward  past  Ak-hissar  to  Panderma  on  the 
Sea  of  Marmora.  Even  the  poorer  classes  travel 
by  railway,  for  the  fare  is  low,  and  the  com- 
partments of  the  coaches,  though  small,  are 
similar  to  those  of  Europe  and  not  uncomfort- 
able. 

In  a  great  reverse  curve,  the  railway  bends  at  first 
to  the  east  around  the  arm  of  the  Bay  of  Burnabat, 
then  to  the  west  around  Mt.  Sipylus.  To  the  north- 
east of  Smyrna  it  traverses  large  patches  of  black 
earth  planted  entirely  with  artichokes  ;  then  passes 
between  well-kept  vineyards,  and  orchards  of 
quinces,  apples,  and  almonds.  It  turns  westward 
near  fragments  of  Cyclopean  masonry,  where  the 
earliest  Smyrna  lies  hidden  beneath  crumbling 
ruins,  and  enters  Cordelio  through  pretty  villas 
separated  by  walls  of  baked  mud,  which  are  partly 
hidden  by  vines.  A  few  of  the  villas  have  small 
fountains,  surrounded  by  rose-bushes,  magnolias, 
and  lemon-trees  ;  while  great  masses  of  lavender- 
coloured  wistaria  cling  to  the  sides  of  cream-white 
houses.  Gracefully  drooping  branches  of  date 
palms  spread  above  their  roofs  ;  and  here  and 


ii6  ASIA  MINOR 

there  olive-trees  rise  fuUy  forty  feet  high,  and  plane- 
trees  mount  still  higher. 

Though  most  of  the  low  ground  around  Smyrna 
is  fertile  and  carefully  cultivated,  there  are  many 
square  miles  of  low  salty  land  and  rough  hill-sides 
to  the  west  of  Cordelio  that  are  barren  and  fit  only 
for  pasture.  Where  the  train  enters  the  valley  of 
the  Hermus,  a  little  farther  to  the  north,  the 
transition  is  again  most  marked.  Its  rich  soil  is 
planted  with  olive  and  fig  orchards  and  with  vine- 
yards. Every  acre  is  cultivated.  And  everywhere 
are  life  and  movement  ;  but  it  is  the  unhurried 
movement  of  the  Oriental,  immune  from  the  fevers 
of  Occidental  haste.  Children  hang  listlessly  about 
low  adobe  houses  with  rust  -  coloured  roofs,  or 
indolently  loiter  by  the  wayside.  Here,  a  Turk 
with  turbaned  head  and  voluminous  trousers  is 
following  a  pair  of  bullocks  attached  by  a  yoke 
and  beam  to  a  crooked  stick  that  scratches  the 
ground ;  there,  another  is  similarly  ploughing  with 
equally  sluggish  horses.  Along  the  road  a  man 
creeps  on  a  diminutive  donkey,  which  is  almost 
concealed  by  his  big  body,  and  his  long  legs  that 
reach  nearly  to  the  ground.  Behind  him  follows 
a  line  of  stately  camels,  with  backs  towering  above 
him  and  heads  high  as  if  their  spirits  soared  above 
the  trammelling  of  their  bodies.  The  contrast 
is  comical ;  but  the  face  of  the  man  is  quite 
serious. 

The  valley  near  the  west  end  of  Mt.  Sipylus  is 
about  a  mile  in  breadth,  and  is  surrounded  by 


THE  VALLEY  OF  THE  HERMUS     117 

mountains  about  two  thousand  feet  high,  whose 
sides  are  cultivated  far  towards  the  top  ;  but  it 
soon  narrows  to  a  pass  only  three  hundred  yards 
wide,  where  the  railway  skirts  the  bank  of  the 
Hermus.  Willows  droop  their  branches  over  the 
waters,  which  are  muddy  with  the  rich  soil  they 
bear  along  ;  and  the  hills  are  partly  covered  with 
oaks  and,  in  the  spring  of  the  year,  with  wild 
flowers  such  as  daisies,  dark  red  poppies,  white 
fleur-de-lis,  furze,  oleanders,  asphodels  bearing 
dainty  clusters  of  white  blossoms,  and  brilliantly 
coloured  Judas  trees. 

After  passing  for  a  couple  of  miles  through  this 
defile,  the  valley  broadens  into  a  plain  two  or 
three  miles  wide,  and  even  more  as  it  extends 
farther  to  the  east.  Here  the  cultivation  is 
devoted  principally  to  raising  grapes  and  grain, 
so  that  patches  of  reddish  vines  are  seen  inter- 
spersed with  great  stretches  of  waving  barley. 
The  fields  are  separated  only  rarely  by  walls  or 
fences,  but  generally  by  lines  of  feathery  poplars 
with  cream-white  trunks.  Compared  with  other 
trees  of  Asia  Minor,  these  seem  to  represent  the 
highest  expression  of  floral  grace,  for,  when  their 
branches  sway  in  the  wind,  their  tops  bend  like 
plumes  of  glistening  green  ;  the  two  sides  of  their 
quivering  leaves  display  different  shades  of  colour. 
One  thing  alone  mars  the  harmonious  beauty  of 
this  valley.  Many  of  the  adobe  houses,  which  in 
other  parts  of  the  country  appear  so  picturesque 
— the  dull  ashy-grey  colour  of   their  walls   con- 


ii8  ASIA  MINOR 

trasting  with  the  dark  red  of  their  roofs  and  the 
green  of  surrounding  trees — are  painted  with 
atrocious  colours  :  an  ugly  blue,  red,  or  yellow. 
It  is  as  if  the  Oriental,  usually  so  sensitive  to 
beauty,  was  here  venting  some  spite  towards 
nature. 

From  a  long  distance,  slender  minarets,  like 
arrows,  point  out  the  city  of  Manisa,  on  the  south 
side  of  the  valley,  about  forty  miles  by  railway 
from  Smyrna.  In  classic  times  it  was  known  as 
Magnesia,  which  the  old  legends,  with  their  usual 
uncertainty,  say  was  founded  by  a  band  of 
Amazons,  and  also  by  Tantalus.  Part  of  the  city 
occupies  low  land  at  the  base  of  the  overshadow- 
ing Mt.  Sipylus,  not  far  from  where  the  Scipios, 
in  190  B.C.,  defeated  Antiochus  the  Great,  and 
thereby  gained  for  Rome  the  sovereignty  of  Asia 
Minor.  Part  of  it  extends  a  short  distance  up  the 
rugged  flank  of  the  mountain,  where  some  of  the 
old  walls  still  appear,  though  they  were  racked  by 
the  earthquakes  which  nearly  destroyed  it  during 
the  reign  of  Tiberius,  and  fell  repeatedly  before 
the  attack  of  each  new  rising  power  :  Crusaders, 
Seljuks,  the  Ottoman  Turks,  and  finally  Tamer- 
lane in  his  terrible  march  to  the  ^Egean  Sea.  Now 
the  city  is  the  largest  in  the  valley  of  the  Hermus  ; 
and  because  of  its  peculiar  location,  its  poplars,  its 
lofty  cypresses,  and  its  mosques  which  are  half 
hidden  in  blue  shadows,  it  is  the  most  beauti- 
ful. It  rests  so  calmly  beneath  the  hoary  lime- 
stone  mountain   rising  protectingly   above,   and 


THE  VALLEY  OF  THE  HERMUS     119 

faces  a  valley  that  fades  away  so  peacefully,  it 
is  hard  to  believe  the  reahty  of  its  numerous 
misfortunes. 

From  Manisa,  the  railway  to  Ak-hissar  and 
Panderma  traverses  the  Hermus  valley  to  its  north 
side  amid  vineyards,  and  fields  of  beans  and  grain, 
and  between  villages  of  sun-baked  earth  partly 
shaded  by  trees.  After  crossing  the  main  branch 
of  the  Hermus,  which  is  here  about  one  hundred 
yards  wide,  it  follows  one  of  the  tributaries  to  the 
north-east  among  limestone  hills.  In  a  small 
village,  a  few  miles  to  the  south  of  Ak-hissar,  it 
passes  near  a  large  modern  building  occupied  by 
a  school  of  agriculture  established  by  the  Ottoman 
Government,  which  is  beginning  to  realize  the 
importance  of  educating  the  people  in  the  most 
efficient  methods  of  cultivating  the  soil. 

In  cities  such  as  Smyrna,  Brussa,  or  Constanti- 
nople, the  Turks  have  acquired  some  of  the  con- 
ventionality of  western  civilization  ;  but,  far  from 
centres  of  civilization,  they  are  more  nearly  the 
children  of  nature.  The  train  that  carried  us  to 
Ak-hissar  was  one  of  those  accommodation  trains 
that  carry  both  freight  and  people.  As  it  backed 
along  a  switch  at  Manisa  to  be  attached  to  a  small 
freight  car,  a  dozen  natives,  like  small  boys  wishing 
to  render  assistance,  sprang  forward  with  the  impul- 
sive energy  sometimes  displayed  by  a  phlegmatic 
people,  and  pushed  it  forward  some  fifty  feet  to 
meet  our  backing  train.  When  departing  from 
another  station  we  passed  a  man  with  eight  or  ten 


120  ASIA  MINOR 

camels,  including  a  baby  camel  which,  yielding  to 
the  force  of  some  mental  aberration,  began  to 
follow  the  train.  At  first  it  walked,  then  trotted, 
and  then  with  constantly  accelerating  motion  ran 
faster  and  faster,  until  what  at  first  appeared  all 
legs  seemed  all  body  and  no  legs.  Its  mother 
broke  the  rope  that  bound  her  to  the  others,  and 
devotedly  followed  with  astonishing  bounds.  The 
Turk  looked  the  picture  of  utter  despair.  Rising 
as  high  in  his  saddle  as  its  long  stirrups  would 
permit,  he  shouted  and  frantically  waved  his 
arms.  At  one  moment  he  started  to  chase  the 
runaways  ;  the  next  he  turned  to  cling  to  the 
larger  part  of  his  caravan.  When  last  we  saw 
him  he  was  seeking  solace  in  vigorously  punishing 
his  sinless  little  donkey. 

Ak-hissar,  the  White  Castle,  is  in  a  small  culti- 
vated plain,  encircled  by  hills.  It  is  on  the  site  of 
the  ancient  Thyateira,  one  of  the  Seven  Churches 
of  Asia  ;  but  now  a  few  stone  fragments,  worn 
and  scarred,  alone  bear  witness  to  the  old  city. 
It  was  here  that  Antiochus  the  Great  was  en- 
camped when  the  Scipios  landed  on  the  coast  to 
dispute  his  dominion  ;  it  was  a  woman  from  here 
that  Paul  met  at  Phihppi  selling  purple  dyes.  It 
is  not  improbable  that  even  in  those  days  the  city 
was  a  centre  of  weaving,  as  it  is  still ;  but  then 
the  people  wove  chiefly  to  supply  their  own  needs, 
while  now  they  weave  solely  for  exportation  to 
Europe  and  America.  The  looms  are  entirely  in 
private   houses ;    and   the   weavers  are   girls   of 


THE  VALLEY  OF  THE  HERMUS     121 

Grecian,  Turkish,  and  Armenian  nationality,  who 
with  remarkable  deftness  tie  the  knots  to  the 
warp  as  they  follow  whatever  pattern  is  furnished 
them. 

While  in  the  city  I  was  the  guest  of  a  Greek 
merchant  who  was  largely  interested  in  the 
establishments  for  weaving.  After  inspecting  a 
number  of  them,  he  invited  me  to  his  home  for 
lunch,  which  consisted  in  part  of  soup,  a  ragout  of 
mutton,  bread,  olives,  salad,  sweets,  and  very 
excellent  native  wine  with  the  flavour  of  port. 
Neither  his  wife  nor  daughters  joined  us  ;  but 
afterwards  he  showed  me  his  children  with 
evident  pride,  for  they  were  splendid  types  of  the 
Greek  race,  as  is  the  case  of  many  of  the  girls  who 
work  at  the  looms  in  crowded  rooms. 

A  large  part  of  Ak-hissar  enjoys  a  rare  cleanli- 
ness that  distinguishes  it  from  most  cities  of 
Turkish  Asia.  To  a  great  extent  this  is  due  to  the 
abundance  of  clear,  pure  water  which  is  conducted 
to  the  city  from  the  surrounding  hills  by  numerous 
aqueducts.  The  narrow  streets,  hedged  in  by  high 
walls,  are  paved  with  small  cobble  stones,  and 
incline  slightly  to  a  small,  open  stone  channel  at 
the  centre,  through  which  water  is  constantly 
coursing,  so  that  any  uncleanliness  that  may 
gather  is  at  once  carried  away.  The  courts  of 
dwellings  are  similarly  paved  with  stone,  and  are 
regularly  swept  and  washed.  In  the  hot  days  of 
August,  when  the  ground  is  parched,  when  the  air 
quivers  above  heated  stones,  the  water  passing 


122  ASIA  MINOR 

through  the  city  throws  up  sprays  at  the  fountains, 
bubbles  and  falls  in  the  gardens,  trickles  like 
silver  threads  over  marble  slabs,  and  murmurs 
softly  as  it  fills  the  air  with  a  delicious  cool- 
ness. 

When  at  length  I  left  Ak-hissar  I  did  so  almost 
unwillingly,  since  all  I  had  met,  Turks  as  well  as 
Greeks,  had  been  most  friendly.  Even  the  mag- 
pies I  passed  on  my  return  to  the  station  seemed 
to  chatter  less  saucily,  and  the  camels  grunting 
beneath  the  burdens  of  rugs  and  carpets  they  were 
bearing  to  the  warehouses  appeared  to  glance  at 
me  less  condescendingly  than  before.  Though 
the  city  lacks  the  picturesqueness  of  so  many 
others  of  Asia  Minor,  though  it  now  has  little 
to  remind  one  of  the  days  of  the  Scipios  and 
St.  Paul,  it  possesses  a  rare  cleanliness  and  un- 
usual industry. 

The  lower  part  of  the  valley  of  the  Hermus 
presents  few,  if  any,  pictures  that  are  wild  or  grand 
or  majestic — simply  the  tender  loveliness  of  some 
quiet  pastoral  scene,  where  bits  of  woodland  and 
rolling  hills  blend  in  unobtrusive  colours  and  soft 
shadows.  Yet  in  the  late  afternoon  and  approach- 
ing twilight  it  occasionally  reveals  scenes  of 
startUng  beauty.  On  my  return,  the  plain  near 
Manisa  was  in  deep  shadow,  for  heavy  clouds 
hung  overhead  and  in  the  west  ;  but  along  the 
northern  side  of  the  valley  the  sun  poured  a 
stream  of  silvery  light  that  enveloped  it  in  exqui- 
site  colour.     Here  and  there  the   light   fell   on 


THE  VALLEY  OF  THE  HERMUS     123 

cream-white  houses,  on  the  ghstening  green  of 
feathery  poplars,  and  on  the  river,  a  winding  hne 
of  shining  steel.  As  the  sun  approached  its 
setting,  the  clouds  above  the  western  horizon 
parted  so  as  to  leave  an  uncovered  patch  of  faint 
blue  sky,  which  near  the  earth  changed  to  a  most 
dehcate  shade  of  lemon-green.  Through  one  of 
these  openings,  with  edges  fringed  and  tinted  with 
glittering  gold,  shone  the  sun — a  ball  of  fire 
emitting  a  glory  of  light  transporting  in  its  splen- 
dour. 

Eastward  from  Manisa  the  railway  extends 
along  the  northern  base  of  Mt.  Sipylus,  which  in 
places  is  very  precipitous.  Below  an  ancient  ruin 
dominating  a  sharp  peak  a  few  miles  from  the 
city,  it  passes  a  rock  carving  about  thirty  feet 
high  which,  despite  the  effacement  of  time,  appears 
to  be  the  figure  of  a  seated  woman.  A  hundred 
generations  of  men  have  passed  beneath  it,  and 
to  most  of  them  it  has  been  a  sphinx.  The 
Grecian  poets  said  it  was  Niobe,  the  daughter  of 
Tantalus,  and  that  the  lime  which  the  waters, 
dripping  from  above,  deposited  on  the  face  were 
her  tears  as  she  wept  for  her  children  slain  by  the 
arms  of  Apollo  and  Artemis.  But  without  a 
doubt  the  figure  represents  the  great  Hittite 
goddess  Cybele. 

A  short  distance  beyond,  Mt.  Sipylus  terminates 
abruptly,  and  the  main  valley  of  the  Hermus 
widens  into  a  plain.  Near  Kassaba,  eighteen 
miles  east  of  Manisa,  the  land  is  very  fertile.    The 


124  ASIA  MINOR 

fields  produce  not  only  grain  and  beans,  but  vine- 
yards, orchards  of  cherry-trees,  and  melons  which 
have  carried  the  name  of  Kassaba  even  to  the 
shores  of  the  Pacific  Ocean.  In  places  the  cultiva- 
tion is  broken  by  scattered  stones  of  prehistoric 
ruins,  as  well  as  by  tumuli  about  sixty  feet  in 
diameter  and  twenty  feet  high,  the  remains  un- 
doubtedly of  the  burial  places  of  long  forgotten 
princes. 

The  railway  continues  along  the  southern  side 
of  the  valley,  and  at  a  distance  of  about  thirty- 
five  miles  from  Manisa  reaches  Sart,  close  by  the 
site  of  the  ancient  Sardis.  The  station,  which  con- 
sists of  some  three  or  four  houses  only,  is  so  unim 
portant  that  trains  do  not  regularly  stop  there. 
Half  a  mile  to  the  south  the  steep  escarpments 
of  a  line  of  hills  several  hundred  feet  high  are 
silhouetted  against  the  sky ;  and  far  beyond  them 
the  tops  of  Mt.  Tmolus,  snow-covered  in  winter 
and  spring,  appear  through  a  gap,  where  the 
Pactolus  flows  beside  willows  and  poplars,  and 
rumbling  over  a  bed  strewn  with  boulders  of 
quartz  and  schist  passes  the  station  to  empty  into 
the  Hermus. 

One  fair  day  in  spring  we  followed  the  road 
along  the  bank  of  the  stream,  over  a  gravelly  soil 
covered  with  daisies,  buttercups,  dandehons,  and 
anemones,  as  well  as  the  larger  oleanders.  As  we 
entered  the  gap  we  passed  near  a  dozen  stone  and 
adobe  houses  with  surroundings  so  ordinary — for 
dirty  children  were  playing  before  them,  chickens 


THE  VALLEY  OF  THE  HERMUS     125 

were  scratching  offal  on  the  ground,  the  regulation 
yellow  dogs  were  snarling,  and  storks  were  perch- 
ing on  one  leg  above  the  walls — that  we  were 
totally  unprepared  for  the  scene  of  the  ancient 
ruins  that  suddenly  opened  before  us,  a  scene, 
however,  that  only  can  be  appreciated  by  some 
knowledge  of  its  past. 

Long  ages  ago  the  country  about  Sardis  was 
much  lower  than  it  is  to-day,  and  the  encircling 
mountains  were  gradually  worn  down  and  washed 
away,  to  be  deposited  in  the  valley.  Then  in  still 
later  geologic  time,  when  there  came  a  gradual 
elevation,  the  rivers  from  the  mountains,  seeking 
their  way  to  the  ocean,  cut  down  the  valley  to 
much  lower  levels,  and  chiselled  the  alluvium 
previously  deposited  into  hills.  So  it  happens 
that  the  hills  surrounding  Sardis  consist  of  clay, 
sand,  and  gravel ;  and  are  so  slightly  consolidated 
that  the  rains  and  even  the  winds,  assisted  by  the 
earthquakes,  are  changing  and  gradually  effacing 
them. 

No  better  idea  of  the  general  plan  of  Sardis  can 
be  had  than  by  standing  near  where  the  old  acro- 
polis stood,  on  the  edge  of  one  of  these  hills,  which 
is  part  of  a  low  ridge  parallel  to  the  valley  of  the 
Hermus  and  to  the  much  loftier  Tmolus  to  the 
south.  A  hundred  rods  to  the  west  of  the  acro- 
polis, the  Pactolus,  flowing  northward,  has  cut  the 
ridge  transversely,  so  as  to  leave  on  its  west^'side 
what  is  known  as  the  Hill  of  the  Tombs.  Further- 
more, a  little  vale,  somewhat  like  an  amphitheatre 


126  ASIA  MINOR 

and  partly  hidden  from  the  valley  of  the  Hermus, 
lies  between  the  acropolis  and  the  Pactolus.  Four 
great  races — Lydian,  Greek,  Roman,  and  By- 
zantine, each  of  which  has  played  a  part  in  the 
history  of  Sardis — in  turn  occupied  this  ground. 
The  principal  buildings  of  the  Lydians  and  Greeks 
were  in  the  little  vale  ;  while  the  larger  Roman 
and  Byzantine  cities,  requiring  more  space, 
extended  northward  along  the  flanks  of  the 
ridge. 

The  early  history  of  the  Lydians  is  so  clouded 
by  myths  that  authentic  history  probably  does 
not  begin  before  the  reign  of  Gyges,  the  first  of  the 
line  of  Mermnadae,  who  repaid  the  folly  of  Can- 
daules,  the  preceding  king,  in  inviting  him  to 
witness  the  physical  charms  of  his  wife  when  dis- 
robed, by  slaying  king  and  taking  wife  and 
throne.  During  the  reign  of  his  son,  most  of  the 
city  of  Sardis  was  destroyed  by  the  Cimmerians, 
though  the  citadel  escaped.  Alyattes,  the  fourth 
of  the  line,  drove  the  Cimmerians  out  of  Asia 
Minor  and  rebuilt  Sardis,  which  became  under 
Croesus,  his  son,  the  most  wealthy  city  of  Asia 
Minor. 

The  Lydian  kingdom  might  have  endured 
much  longer,  and  the  fate  of  the  Grecian  cities  of 
Asia  Minor  might  have  been  far  different,  if 
Croesus  had  not  heeded  the  Delphic  oracle,  which 
declared  that  if  he  advanced  against  the  Persians 
he  would  destroy  a  great  kingdom.  Even  after 
his  defeat,  he  might  have  escaped  in  the  security 


THE  VALLEY  OE  THE  HERMUS     127 

of  his  citadel  but  for  the  absence  of  part  of  the 
wall  along  the  most  precipitous  western  side,  where 
one  day  Cyrus  noticed  from  his  camp  below  a 
soldier  descending  to  recover  his  fallen  helmet  and 
then  safely  ascending.  In  the  darkness  of  the 
following  night,  a  chosen  band  of  Persians 
stealthily  climbed  the  same  way  and  captured  the 
citadel. 

With  the  downfall  of  the  Lydian  empire,  Sardis 
became  the  residence  of  a  satrap  ;  but  a  little 
later  the  lonians  took  it,  after  burning  parts  of  the 
city  in  the  struggle.  At  Sardis,  Xerxes  assem.bled 
his  troops  before  crossing  the  Hellespont  ;  and 
here  also  Xenophon  joined  Cyrus  the  younger 
when  he  marched  against  Artaxerxes.  Sub- 
sequently it  passed  under  the  yoke  of  the  kings  of 
Pergamus,  and  when  the  Scipios  defeated  Antio- 
chus  the  Great,  it  became  part  of  a  Roman 
province.  Though  almost  completely  destroyed 
by  the  earthquake  of  the  year  17  a.d.,  it  was 
restored  by  Tiberius  Caesar,  and  during  the  By- 
zantine period  new  buildings  and  walls  were 
erected  ;  but  the  hill  of  the  acropolis  was  gradu- 
ally shattered  by  recurring  earthquakes,  and 
washed  down  to  cover  that  portion  of  the  ancient 
city  which  lay  between  it  and  the  Pactolus.  At 
length,  when  fourteen  centuries  of  our  era  had 
passed — just  as  many,  if  traditions  are  true,  as 
had  preceded  since  the  native  people  had  united 
under  one  king — Tamerlane  swept  through  the 
valley  and,  where  a  populous  city  had  just  stood. 


128  ASIA  MINOR 

left  little  more  than  shattered  walls  and  broken 
columns. 

Perhaps  the  barbaric  pageantry  of  the  worship 
of  Cybele,  with  its  strange  rites  and  the  wild 
licence  granted  to  men  and  women  at  stated 
seasons,  contributed  to  the  growth  of  Sardis  ; 
but  its  importance  and  power  were  due  to  a 
number  of  other  causes  :  its  rulers  were  for  the 
most  part  men  of  constructive  ability,  who  main- 
tained formidable  mihtary  forces  ;  it  was  on  the 
great  highway  of  the  ancient  Hittites,  leading 
from  the  East  to  the  harbours  of  Smyrna  and 
Ephesus  ;  it  was  near  the  centre  of  a  large  and 
fertile  plain.  There  is,  moreover,  another  reason 
for  its  wealth.  The  saying  that  the  Pactolus 
"  rolled  over  golden  sands  "  has  possibly  as  much 
of  truth  as  fiction,  for  the  stream  is  sufficiently 
rapid  to  bear  along  any  gold  that  might  be  re- 
leased from  the  schists  of  Mt.  Tmolus.  At  any 
rate,  the  Lydians  were  the  first  nation,  and  Gyges 
the  first  king,  to  coin  gold,  which  as  a  medium  of 
exchange  gave  them  a  distinct  advantage  in  the 
intercourse  between  East  and  West.  The  valley 
of  the  Hermus  was  a  huge  granary,  and  the  city 
of  Sardis  was  noted  for  its  ceramics  and  delicately 
woven  textiles.  With  money  and  commodities,  it 
carried  on  trade  not  only  with  the  eastern  part  of 
Asia  and  the  Greeks  of  the  coast,  but  with  the 
cities  of  the  Mediterranean  all  the  way  from 
Phoenicia  to  its  far  western  shores. 

When  a  small  group  of  Americans,  under  Pro- 


THE  VALLEY  OF  THE  HERMUS     129 

fessor  Howard  Butler,  began  their  work  of  excava- 
tion in  the  year  1910,  the  only  pre-Roman  remains 
visible  at  Sardis  were  two  unfluted  columns  with 
Ionic  capitals,  rising  about  thirty  feet  above  the 
talus  slope  which  extends  gradually  from  the  bank 
of  the  Pactolus  up  the  little  vale  to  the  hill  of  the 
acropohs.     A  few  unsuccessful  efforts  had  pre- 
viously been  made  to  sink  pits  from  the  surface  to 
the  platform  on  which  the  columns  stood  ;    but 
the  Americans  began  their  work  on  the  bank  of 
the  stream  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  yards 
away.    When  part  of  the  bank  had  been  removed, 
they  unearthed  a  flight  of  sandstone  steps  extend- 
ing along  the  western  side  of  a  building  partly 
surrounded  by  rows  of  marble  slabs.    One  of  these 
slabs  had  a  carefully  carved  Lydian  inscription, 
establishing  the  fact  that  this  was  an  early  Lydian 
building,  which  may  have  stood  three  thousand 
years  ago.     Subsequently,  other  Lydian  inscrip- 
tions were  found  on  other  slabs  near  the  Hill  of 
the  Tombs  ;  and,  what  was  of  still  greater  import- 
ance, some  of  them  were  accompanied  by  Aramaic 
inscriptions,  so  that  the  hitherto  unknown  lan- 
guage of  the  Lydians  may  soon  be  deciphered,  as 
was  the  case  of  the  Egyptian  hieroglyphics  on  the 
discovery  of  the  rosetta  stone. 

As  the  work  of  excavating  progressed  to  the 
east,  a  wall  of  undressed  marble  was  encountered 
a  Httle  above  the  Lydian  building.  It  proved  to 
be  the  foundation  of  the  great  temple  at  one  end 
of  which  stood  the  two  columns,  the  temple  of  the 


130  ASIA  MINOR 

Asiatic  goddess  Cybele,  whom  the  Greek  colonists 
metamorphosed  into  Artemis.  Within  a  compara- 
tively short  period,  considering  the  difficulties 
encountered  and  the  care  that  was  exercised,  the 
temple  was  completely  exposed,  as  well  as  a  large 
space  surrounding  it.  It  was  over  three  hundred 
feet  in  length  and  one  hundred  and  fifty  in  breadth, 
so  that  it  occupied  almost  twice  the  area  covered 
by  the  Athenian  Parthenon.  The  cella  was 
divided,  as  was  usually  the  case,  into  two  halls. 
The  one  in  front,  facing  to  the  east  or  towards  the 
acropolis,  contained  tw^o  rows  of  six  columns  each, 
which  supported  a  roof  of  marble  tiles  ;  and  be- 
tween the  rows,  facing  the  entrance,  stood  the  altar 
of  the  goddess  ;  though  now  the  columns  are  in 
ruins,  and  all  that  is  left  of  the  altar  are  some 
blocks  of  sandstone  entirely  stripped  of  ornamenta- 
tion. The  hall  to  the  rear  was  the  smaller  opis- 
thodomos,  used  as  a  treasury  ;  but  nothing  of  it 
remains  except  part  of  the  wall  on  the  north  side, 
on  which  is  inscribed  in  legible  Greek  characters 
probably  the  earliest  mortgage  on  record,  whereby 
Mnesymachos,  a  Greek,  pledged  his  property  to 
the  custodians  of  the  temple.  A  row  of  twenty 
enormous  columns,  seven  feet  in  diameter  and 
sixty  feet  high,  flanked  each  side  of  the  temple  ; 
while  in  front  stood  a  double  row  of  eight,  with 
the  very  unusual  feature  of  another  column  be- 
tween  the  inner  row  and  each  anta,  or  extended 
wall,  so  as  to  leave  a  large  open  space  before  the 
entrance.    The  two  unbroken  columns  which  are 


THE  VALLEY  OF  THE  HERMUS     131 

at  the  south-east  corner,  as  well  as  the  remaining 
parts  of  others  that  stood  near  the  entrance,  arc 
unfinished  ;  yet  they  undoubtedly  represent  Ionic 
architecture,  though  the  temple  appears  to  have 
been  erected  in  the  first  half  of  the  fourth  century 
B.C.,  when  Sardis  was  still  under  the  control  of  the 
Persians. 

Whoever  visits  this  scene  for  the  first  time  and 
notices  how  few  are  the  fragments  of  friezes,  archi- 
traves, columns,  and  walls,  is  apt  to  wonder  what 
has  become  of  the  great  masses  of  stone  that  once 
composed  the  temple,  and  why  such  parts  of  the 
columns  as  remain  are  entirely  at  the  east  end,  and 
also  why  some  that  had  capitals  of  graceful  volutes 
and  delicately  carved  bases  are  unfluted  and  bear 
marks  that  were  to  guide  the  sculptor  in  their 
completion.  Yet  the  reasons  are  simple.  From 
remotest  times,  it  has  been  a  custom  of  the  people 
of  Asia  Minor  to  dismember  the  monuments  of 
preceding  generations  regardless  of  all  historic 
interest,  if  by  doing  so  they  could  satisfy  their 
present  needs.  So  it  happened  that  the  beautiful 
marbles  of  Sardis  were  placed  in  the  subsequent 
buildings  of  the  Romans  or  Byzantines  or  burnt 
for  lime,  even  as  some  of  the  ruins  of  Tralles  are 
being  burned  by  the  Turks  to-day.  And  the  reason 
that  the  best  preserved  part  of  the  temple  is  at  the 
eastern  end,  is  because,  being  nearest  the  hill  of  the 
acropolis,  it  was  the  first  to  be  buried  beneath  the 
soil  that  washing  from  it  gradually  filled  the  little 
vale.     Other  ruins  farther  to  the  east  may  have 


132  ASIA  MINOR 

been  partly  buried  in  the  first  part  of  the  Christian 
era  ;  but  in  all  probability  it  was  during  the  fifth 
or  sixth  century  that  the  eastern  part  of  the  Temple 
was  covered  up,  while  the  western  part  remained 
unexposed  for  many  centuries  afterwards.  The 
unfinished  condition  of  some  of  the  columns  is 
doubtless  due  to  the  wave  of  Christianity  that 
swept  over  the  country  just  after  the  old  columns 
were  destroyed  by  an  earthquake  and  before  the 
new  columns  were  completed,  since  the  converts 
to  the  new  religion  forsook  the  worship  of  Artemis, 
with  its  sacrifices  and  unholy  rites,  and  abandoned 
the  temple. 

No  one  knows  the  exact  site  of  the  primitive 
church  which  in  the  time  of  the  apostles  was  ad- 
dressed as  one  of  the  "  Churches  of  Asia,"  and 
where  the  first  Christian  bishop  of  Lydia  was  con- 
secrated ;  but  at  the  south-east  corner  of  the 
temple,  a  few  feet  above  the  base  of  one  of  the 
standing  columns,  is  a  rude  structure  which  per- 
haps is  one  of  the  oldest  Christian  churches  that 
now  exists,  for  it  was  built  about  the  year  300  a.d. 
It  is  a  low  building  of  sun-dried  brick,  almost  as 
crudely  made  as  some  of  the  homes  of  the  peasants 
who  recently  excavated  it.  It  consists  of  a  nave 
terminating  in  an  apse  covered  with  a  half  dome, 
beneath  the  centre  of  which  a  roughly-dressed 
stone  column  rises  about  two  feet  from  the  ground, 
and  supports  an  equally  crude  slab  that  served  as 
an  altar.  This  apse  is  partly  encircled  by  an  older 
and  larger  one,  which  was  damaged  by  earthquakes. 


THE  VALLEY  OF  THE  HERMUS     133 

So  great  is  the  contrast  of  the  earthen  walls,  the 
small  arched  windows,  and  the  simple  altar  of  this 
small  Christian  church  with  the  lofty  marble 
shafts,  the  dehcately  carved  capitals,  and  the  mag- 
nificent proportions  of  the  pagan  basihca  which 
stands  beside  it,  that  it  almost  seems  as  if 
it  were  to  emphasize  the  simphcity  of  the  new 
religion  as  compared  with  the  ceremony  of  the 
old. 

Only  a  little  of  the  talus  to  the  east  of  the  church 
and  temple  had  been  removed  before  the  outbreak 
of  the  European  war,  when  the  work  of  excavating 
was  discontinued.  It  is  believed,  however,  that 
somewhere  between  these  buildings  and  the  site  of 
the  acropolis  the  remains  of  the  palace  of  Croesus 
and  other  important  ruins  lie  concealed. 

The  Hill  of  the  Tombs,  on  the  western  side  of 
the  Pactolus,  was  for  several  hundred  and  pos- 
sibly a  thousand  years  the  burial  place  of  the 
ancient  races  who  occupied  Sardis.  It  is  of  friable 
sandstone  and  conglomerate,  sparsely  covered 
with  scrubby  bushes,  and  honeycombed  with  ex- 
cavations that  at  a  distance  look  Hke  gigantic  ant 
holes.  These  excavations  have  exposed  numerous 
underground  chambers,  approached  from  the 
surface  by  short  passages,  and  surrounded  on  three 
sides  by  low  couches  hewn  out  of  the  living  rock, 
on  which  the  dead  were  laid.  The  bodies  of  the 
Lydians  were  buried  in  a  shroud  only  ;  but  the 
bodies  of  the  Greeks  were  placed  in  coffins  of  terra- 
cotta or  in  larger  sarcophagi.     In  the  course  of 


134    •  ASIA  MINOR 

centuries,  the  same  tomb  was  used  again  and  again: 
the  bones  of  forgotten  ancestors  were  huddled  in 
obscure  places,  while  the  couches  they  had  occu- 
pied were  given  to  the  more  recently  deceased  ; 
and  during  the  Roman  period  urns  containing  the 
ashes  of  the  dead  were  often  deposited  on  the 
couches  without  disturbing  the  earlier  remains. 
By  the  side  of  some  of  the  dead  have  been  found 
pottery  that  suggests  an  early  iEgean  influence, 
vessels  of  Egyptian  alabaster,  and  glass  of  Phoe- 
nician character,  as  well  as  objects  in  bronze  and 
silver  and  gold.  There  are  also  rings,  bracelets, 
and  necklaces  of  curious  and  delicate  workman- 
ship ;  and  daintily  carved  precious  stones,  which 
display  an  artistic  taste  in  keeping  with  the  high 
architectural  ideals  of  the  people.  These  are  the 
burial  places  of  pagans  of  long  ago,  and  yet  of 
pagans  with  loving  feelings  and  tender  senti- 
ments, as  the  love  for  the  beautiful  would  never 
alone  account  for  the  dainty  rings,  the  exquisite 
necklaces,  that  lay  beside  the  remains  of  frail 
women. 

The  ancient  Sardis  of  the  Lydians,  the  Hyde  of 
Homer,  was  probably  confined  largely  to  the 
vicinity  of  the  Pactolus,  where  it  stretched  along  the 
banks  to  the  north  and  south,  and  extended  east- 
ward to  the  acropolis  on  the  hill.  During  the 
Greek  period  new  buildings  were  raised  on  the 
foundations  of  the  old  ;  and  the  boundaries  of  the 
city  were  slightly  enlarged.  But,  during  the  days 
of  the  Romans,  other  buildings,  which  were  erected 


MT.    TMOLUS,    AND    THF,    HII.L   OF    THE    TOMBS    BEYOND    THE    EXCAVATIONS 
AT   SAROIS    AT    THE    T.EFT 


iLn^  .  jM 


cJl^ 


< 


(^  I'KIMI  I  1 VE    IKilsES     \r    AYASOI.nK 


THE  VALLEY  OF  THE  HERMUS     135 

on  the  northern  side  of  the  hill  of  the  acropolis  and 
on  the  plain  at  its  base,  covered  an  area  of  about  a 
mile  in  length  and  two-thirds  of  a  mile  in  breadth. 
A  market  place  was  built  near  the  centre  of  this 
Roman  city;  to  the  south-east  of  it,  and  at  a 
higher  elevation  was  placed  the  stadium,  while 
a  theatre  occupied  a  depression  in  the  hill-side 
facing  the  valley  of  the  Hermus.  Extensive  walls, 
which  have  been  regarded  as  part  of  the  gym- 
nasium, are  still  in  place  a  Httle  to  the  east  of  the 
bank  of  the  Pactolus ;  and  other  walls  of  cobble- 
stones and  broken  fragments  of  rock,  which  may 
have  been  erected  during  the  Byzantine  time, 
cover  part  of  the  same  site.  But,  among  all  these 
ruins  that  mark  the  city's  growth  during  the  rule 
of  the  Romans  and  Byzantines,  there  is  little  of 
interest  compared  with  the  splendid  accomplish- 
ments of  the  earlier  period. 

Of  the  glory  of  the  past,  barely  a  vestige  is  left  : 
toilers,  armies,  kings  have  passed  away  ;  their 
homes,  palaces,  and  temples  crumbled  as  the  earth 
gathered  all  again  to  her  bosom.  Even  part  of  the 
hill  of  the  acropolis  has  fallen  ;  but  otherwise  the 
country  is  much  the  same  as  it  was  long,  long  ago. 
As  we  stood  above  the  temple,  looking  down  at 
the  busy  scene  where  two  hundred  men  were 
resurrecting  a  buried  city,  the  ground  at  our  feet 
was  covered  with  anemones  and  orchids,  sweet 
forget-me-nots  and  white-petalled  Stars  of  Beth- 
lehem, smiling  just  as  they  had  smiled  when  Croesus 
trod  the  same  hills.    The  willow-shaded  Pactolus 


136  ASIA  MINOR 

was  murmuring  the  same  song  that  was  heard  by 
the  Lydians  and  Hittites  nearly  three  thousand 
years  ago.  To  the  south,  snow-crowned  Tmolus 
gUttered  in  the  sunshine,  behind  purple  ranges 
covered  with  pine  ;  and  away  to  the  north  the 
classic  Hermus  glided  in  long  sweeping  curves  to 
the  ocean — just  as  when  the  builders  of  the  match- 
less temple  marched  along  the  sacred  way  to  offer 
their  sacrifices  to  Cybele,  or  under  the  spell  of 
barbaric  music  yielded  to  the  wild  fascination  of 
her  strange  rites.  And  as  we  gazed  over  the  ruins, 
beautiful  and  imposing  even  in  their  decay,  we 
felt  almost  lonely,  longing  for  the  departed  of  so 
many  years  ago  to  rise  to  life,  to  tell  how  they 
lived  and  toiled,  while  learning  how  the  world 
has  changed  since  then.  Reluctantly  we  turned 
at  last  and  left  the  little  vale,  with  its  touch 
of  sadness,  its  sweet  spirit  of  ineffable  calm- 
ness. 

The  Hill  of  Tombs  was  not  the  only  place  of 
burial  for  the  people  of  Sardis.  Many  of  the  dead 
were  taken  to  the  more  extensive  necropolis  of  Bin 
Tepe,  sometimes  called  "  the  Place  of  a  Thousand 
Tombs,"  a  few  miles  to  the  north  of  the  city,  on 
the  right  bank  of  the  Hermus.  Unlike  Moslem 
cemeteries,  it  consisted  of  large  tumuli,  which  to- 
day are  grass  grown,  and  are  partly  levelled  by 
the  constant  wear  of  wind  and  rain.  One  of  them 
was  the  burial  place  of  King  Gyges  ;  but  more 
interesting  than  all  are  the  stone  foundations  of 
the  great  mausoleum  described  by  Herodotus.    It 


THE  VALLEY  OF  THE  HERMUS     137 

was  the  burial  place  of  Alyattes,  father  of  Croesus, 
erected,  so  it  was  said,  by  the  contributions  of  the 
fallen  women  of  Sardis.  Its  diameter  exceeded  a 
thousand  feet  ;  and  its  top,  which  rose  two  hun- 
dred and  sixty  feet  from  the  plain,  was  surmounted 
by  two  spheres  of  marble,  which  could  be  seen 
from  a  great  distance,  and  were  believed  to  possess 
the  power  of  averting  the  spell  of  the  evil  eye. 
Many  of  the  tumuU  have  depressions  that  show 
the  work  of  the  treasure-hunter  ;  but  whatever 
of  value  or  interest  was  buried  there  has  long  since 
been  removed. 

As  the  necropolis  is  on  a  terrace  slightly  elevated 
above  the  plain,  an  excellent  view  may  be  had  from 
the  top  of  the  tumuli  of  the  Mermere  Gul,  which  is 
a  little  farther  to  the  north.  In  ancient  times  it 
was  called  the  Gygean  Lake  after  Gyges,  the 
Lydian  king.  The  character  of  the  ground  at  the 
lower  end  lends  colour  to  the  supposition  that 
originally  it  was  an  artificial  body  of  water  con- 
structed either  for  irrigation  or  the  pleasure  of  the 
court.  It  has  a  length  of  about  eight  miles  and  a 
breadth  of  three,  and  is  connected  by  a  sluggish 
stream  with  the  Hermus.  On  its  surface  linger 
myriads  of  wild  fowl,  which  make  their  nests  in 
the  reeds  of  shallow  places  ;  and  the  waters  abound 
in  carp,  which  the  descendants  of  refugees  from 
Russia,  who  established  themselves  on  its  banks 
in  the  days  of  Catherine,  catch  as  their  principal 
occupation. 

Midway  between  the  upper  and  the  lower  part  of 


138  ASIA  MINOR 

the  Hermus  valley,  the  ranges  of  mountains  that  rise 
on  its  south  side  are  much  higher,  and  the  streams 
that  flow  from  them  much  shorter,  than  those  on 
the  north  side.  After  leaving  Sart,  the  railway  is 
flanked  on  the  south  by  the  lofty  Tmolus,  now 
known  by  the  Turks  as  the  Boz  Dagh  range,  on 
which  the  snow  rests  till  late  in  the  spring.  When 
it  melts,  the  waters  flow  for  a  few  weeks  as  torrents; 
but  by  summer  their  diminished  streams  trickle 
over  boulders  ;  the  earth  looks  parched  ;  and  the 
thirsty  shrubs  begin  to  wither.  But  the  stations 
have  stone  wells  where  the  travellers  may  at  all 
seasons  replenish  the  supply  of  water  they  carry 
in  their  red  earthen  ewers.  The  station  houses 
also  are  built  with  some  consideration  for  the  com- 
fort of  the  people  ;  and  most  of  them  are  shaded 
by  slender  locust-trees,  bearing  on  their  delicate 
branches  white  fragrant  flowers.  Farther  to  the 
east,  in  the  upper  reaches  of  the  valley,  the  soil  is 
somewhat  poor  and  not  so  carefully  cultivated  as 
at  the  lower  end.  Consequently  there  are  fewer 
houses  of  husbandmen.  Here  and  there  the  train 
rushes  by  lonely  stations  ;  on  the  low  hills  by  the 
river's  banks  are  often  seen  the  camels  and  the 
black  tents  of  wandering  Yuruks. 

Ala-shehr,  the  Spotted  City,  rests  on  the  site  of 
the  ancient  Philadelphia,  almost  at  the  head  of  the 
principal  branch  of  the  Hermus,  about  eighty  miles 
in  an  air  line  due  east  of  Smyrna.  It  is  not  far 
from  the  important  pass  through  which,  in  ancient 
times,  one  of  the  great  highways  between  the  East 


THE  VALLEY  OF  THE  HERMUS     139 

and  West  extended  from  the  valley  of  the  Hermiis 
to  the  upper  part  of  the  valley  of  the  Mseander. 
Yet  there  is  no  record  of  any  earlier  city  than  the 
one  founded  by  Attains  Philadelphus,  who  ruled 
at  Pergamus  from  159  to  138  B.C.,  at  a  period  when 
Greek  art  in  Asia  Minor  was  beginning  to  wane. 
So  it  happens  that  there  are  few  traces  of  such 
remains  as  lend  an  interest  to  the  exploration  of 
so  many  of  the  ancient  ruins  of  Asia  Minor.  The 
remnants  of  a  hoary  castle  and  some  massive  walls, 
which  represent  only  part  of  the  original  fortifica- 
tions, and  the  ruins  of  an  ancient  theatre  and 
stadium,  are  almost  the  only  indications  of  the 
importance  of  the  old  city.  There  is,  however,  a 
small  section  of  a  wall  believed  to  contain  the  bones 
of  human  beings.  Some  say  it  was  built  by  Bajazet 
as  a  warning  to  his  enemies  when  he  had  captured 
the  city  in  1390  ;  and  others,  that  it  was  the  work 
of  Tamerlane,  who  on  several  occasions  erected 
such  gruesome  monuments  to  his  victories. 

The  present  city  of  about  thirty-five  thousand 
inhabitants,  who  are  largely  Turks,  stands  partly 
on  low  ground  at  the  base  of  Mt.  Tmolus,  partly  on 
a  slight  elevation  overlooking  the  valley.  It  has 
hot  springs  used  for  bathing,  as  well  as  medicinal 
springs  which  for  centuries  have  been  esteemed 
for  their  curative  properties,  and  are  bottled  and 
sold  throughout  Asia  Minor.  It  has  attractive 
gardens  that  are  cultivated  partly  for  the  roses 
from  which  attar  is  made  ;  its  hills  are  covered 
with  grape  vines,  as  they  were  in  the  days  when 


140  ASIA  MINOR 

Virgil  and  Strabo  told  of  its  wine.  But,  after  all, 
its  principal  interest  lies  in  the  fact  that  it  was  one 
of  the  Seven  Churches  of  Asia,  and  remained  a 
Christian  community  long  after  the  others  were 
simply  memories. 


CHAPTER  VII 

THE  VALLEY  OF  THE  CAYSTER  :  EPHESUS 

THE  month  of  April,  after  the  severe 
rains  of  winter  and  before  the  heat  of 
summer,  is  the  pleasantest  time  to 
visit  the  valley  of  the  Cayster.  For 
about  fifty  miles  it  extends  east  and  west  between 
the  larger  valleys  of  the  Hermus  on  the  north  and 
the  Meander  on  the  south,  then  narrows  to  a 
pass  through  which  the  river  flows  to  the  sea  at 
Ephesus.  The  Nif  Dagh,  Mahmud  Dagh,  and  Boz 
Dagh  protect  it  from  the  winds  of  the  north  ; 
and,  as  the  earth  responds  to  the  warm  sunshine 
of  springtime,  the  deciduous  trees  renew  their 
leaves,  the  hills  are  covered  with  wild  flowers. 

The  railway  from  Smyrna  to  the  valley  starts 
near  the  Point  at  Smyrna  and  passes  near  Caravan 
Bridge,  and  then  to  the  east  of  Mt.  Pagus  along 
the  bank  of  the  Meles.  Just  beyond  the  city  it 
approaches  an  imposing  aqueduct  spanning  the 
river,  and  soon  another,  older  and  grey  with  age. 
In  the  widening  valley  it  enters  the  village  of 
Paradise,  where  a  large  American  missionary 
school  has  recently  been  estabhshed  for  the 
instruction  of  both  girls  and  boys.     Part  of  the 

141 


142  ASIA  MINOR 

valley  is  sown  with  grain,  but  is  poorly  cultivated  ; 
part  is  used  as  pasture  for  sheep.  On  the  hill- 
side bunches  of  pink  tamarisk  flowers  appear 
among  the  cream-coloured  croppings  of  limestone. 

About  seventeen  miles  from  Smyrna  the  rail- 
way turns  eastward  into  the  Caystrian  plain  ; 
but  the  waggon  road  continues  a  few  miles  farther 
south  to  the  ancient  Colophon,  one  of  the  seven 
cities  that  claimed  to  be  the  birthplace  of  Homer 
after  he  was  dead.  For  several  centuries  it  was 
one  of  the  leading  cities  of  the  lonians  ;  yet, 
except  an  investing  wall,  little  remains  to  indicate 
its  former  magnificence.  After  leaving  the  village 
of  Turbali,  where  a  branch  railway  extends  east- 
ward through  the  valley,  the  main  road  turns 
southward  and  passes  within  a  short  distance  of 
some  moss-covered  and  hoary  walls  that  mark 
the  site  of  the  Ionian  Metropolis,  at  the  base  of 
a  hill  on  which  the  acropolis  stood.  In  ancient 
times  this  was  an  important  city  on  account  of 
its  commanding  position  near  the  lower  end  of 
a  fertile,  well-watered  valley,  and  contained  a 
theatre  and  Doric  temple  ;  but  now  little  of  it 
exists  but  shattered  columns  and  parts  of  entab- 
latures, which  have  been  removed  to  mark  the 
graves  of  a  Turkish  cemetery  close  by.  A  little 
farther  to  the  south  the  road  skirts  Lake  Pegasus, 
which  in  the  spring  of  the  year  covers  about  one 
hundred  acres,  but  in  winter  spreads  over  a  much 
larger  area  of  rush-covered,  marshy  ground. 

As  the   train  moves   along,   the  mind  of  the 


THE  VALLEY  OF  THE  CAYSTER    143 

traveller  is  constantly  turned  from  the  present 
to  the  past  :  on  the  soggy  land  where  the  waters 
of  the  lake  are  beginning  to  recede,  Turks  pasture 
their  cattle,  and  Yuruks  follow  their  sheep  ;  but 
from  a  peak  of  rugged  limestone,  five  hundred 
feet  above  the  road,  the  picturesque  ruin  of  Kechi 
Kalesi,  the  Goat  Castle  of  the  seljuk  Sultans,  who 
six  centuries  ago  so  named  it  because  of  its  almost 
inaccessible  position,  looks  down  threateningly. 
Again  the  train  passes  amid  orchards  of  fig-trees 
where  men  are  ploughing,  and  comes  to  a  Uttle 
station  where  other  men  are  sitting  in  the  shade 
of  locust  and  mulberry-trees,  sipping  small  cups 
of  concentrated  coffee  just  as  they  do  throughout 
all  Turkey  ;  but  the  ruins  of  an  aqueduct  over- 
head at  once  transfer  the  thought  to  the  Roman 
days. 

The  station  has  a  very  modern  appearance  ; 
yet  the  town  behind  it,  which  derived  its  name 
of  Ayasoluk  from  a  corruption  of  a  term  applied 
to  St.  John,  existed  almost  two  thousand  years 
ago.  Its  few  hundred  inhabitants  occupy  the 
land  lying  at  the  base  of  a  hill  and  extending 
over  the  lower  part  to  the  western  side,  where 
without  a  doubt  it  overlaps  the  site  of  ancient 
Ephesus.  On  this  hill  the  early  Christians  built 
a  church,  which  in  the  days  of  Justinian  was 
replaced  by  a  cathedral,  where  many  of  the 
Crusaders  on  their  way  to  Palestine  stopped  to 
repeat  their  vows,  and  where  during  the  Middle 
Ages  Christians  from  every  land  gathered  at  the 


144  ASIA  MINOR 

annual  festival  to  worship  at  the  tomb  of  St. 
John.  At  length  it  was  destroyed  about  the 
time  Tamerlane  took  Ephesus. 

The  Roman  aqueduct,  which  is  also  attributed 
to  Justinian,  conveyed  water  to  Ayasoluk  across 
the  little  valley  separating  it  from  the  hills  to 
the  east.  Most  of  its  arches  have  fallen.  The 
marble  slabs  that  were  stolen  from  Ephesus  by 
its  builders,  to  embellish  it,  have  been  stolen 
again  by  others.  On  top  of  its  rectangular-shaped 
pillars,  which  are  about  forty-five  feet  high  and 
made  of  blocks  of  stone,  a  colony  of  storks 
annually  build  their  huge  nests  of  grass  and 
crooked  sticks ;  and,  looking  down  into  the 
principal  street,  almost  seem,  with  their  constant 
fluttering  and  chattering,  to  be  active  participants 
in  the  affairs  of  the  town. 

When  not  engaged  in  visiting  the  ruins  of 
Ephesus,  it  was  a  pleasure  to  watch  the  life  of 
this  typical  Asiatic  place,  which  has  changed  but 
slightly  from  generation  to  generation.  When  I 
left  the  modern  hotel  near  the  depot,  with  its 
spacious  halls  and  clean  hardwood  floors,  and 
passed  from  a  garden  of  trees  and  fragrant 
flowers  through  a  gate,  which  is  locked  for  the 
safety  of  travellers  at  night,  into  the  adjoining 
centre  of  the  town,  the  contrast  was  startling, 
for  it  was  a  transition  from  an  environment  that 
was  Occidental  to  one  that  was  Oriental.  One 
morning  I  noticed,  within  a  high  fence  surround- 
ing a  space  about  twenty  feet  square,  two  dozen 


THE  VALLEY  OF  THE  CAYSTER    145 

men,  unkempt  and  dirty,  old  and  young.  One 
was  an  inane  looking  shepherd  wearing  a  heavy 
mantle  of  white  wool — the  only  one  who  had  had 
a  warm  covering  during  the  night.  Two  looked 
as  if  they  would  not  hesitate  to  bury  their  knives 
into  a  stranger's  heart  for  a  few  mejidiehs.  The 
face  of  none  was  reassuring.  I  was  told  that 
many  of  them  had  probably  been  arrested  because 
of  offences  against  women.  At  eight  o'clock  a 
guard  of  armed  soldiers  removed  them  from  the 
pen,  and  placing  shovels  and  mattocks  in  their 
hands  marched  them  forth  to  work  on  the  roads. 
Now  and  then  a  veiled  woman  would  go  with  a 
pitcher  to  one  of  the  large  public  fountains  that 
stood  at  each  end  of  the  street  reaching  from  the 
station  to  the  hill.  Coarsely  clad  men  lounged 
before  small  khans  or  taverns,  smoking  and 
drinking ;  while  their  animals  rejoiced  at  a 
respite  from  work  in  the  corrals  at  the  rear. 
Other  men  gathered  to  eat  at  a  booth  close  by, 
where  numerous  dishes  filled  with  the  odorous  pre- 
parations of  Turkish  chefs  were  smoking  over 
little  coal  lires.  In  a  baker's  shop  on  the  ground 
floor  of  a  building  across  the  street,  a  man  was 
removing  from  a  huge  glowing-hot  oven  round 
loaves  of  bread  about  a  foot  in  diameter,  and 
brushing  their  tops  with  a  scrubbing-brush,  which 
he  first  immersed  in  very  unsanitary  looking 
water.  Even  as  I  watched  him,  he  entered  into 
negotiations  with  a  customer  who  stopped  with 
a  donkey  beneath  the  tiled  veranda  of  his  shop. 


146  ASIA  MINOR 

and  soon  was  piling  loaves  upon  its  back  until 
they  reached  almost  twice  the  height  of  its 
withers  from  the  ground. 

The  most  pleasant  time  of  the  day  was  at  its 
close,  when  the  air  was  cooled  by  the  shadows 
of  twilight,  and  was  fragrant  with  the  perfume 
of  locust-trees  growing  before  the  houses.  It  was 
also  the  most  interesting.  As  I  strolled  one 
evening  along  the  main  street,  men  entered  the 
town  leading  strings  of  camels  which  they  placed 
in  the  corrals.  After  removing  their  packs  they 
fed  them  with  dry  hay.  The  camels  grunted  as 
they  ate  ;  and  donkeys  expressed  their  satisfac- 
tion that  the  day  was  over  by  a  prolonged  bray, 
which  rising  lustily  above  every  other  sound, 
suggested  both  a  demoniacal  laugh  and  a  fiercely 
rasping  saw.  The  men  gathered  before  the 
taverns,  where  they  sat  in  crudely-made  wicker 
chairs  while  waiting  for  their  evening  meal, 
some  chatting,  some  listening  in  silence  to  the 
barbaric  notes  one  of  their  countrymen  was 
producing  from  a  brass  instrument,  and  a  few 
heeding  with  curious  expressions  the  strangely 
contrasting  music  of  a  light  operetta  from  an 
Edison  gramophone.  Mohammedan  girls  with 
half-averted  faces  and  partly  covered  heads  were 
tripping  to  the  fountains  to  draw  water  for  their 
homes.  Through  open  windows  and  sometimes 
from  the  doorsteps  of  low-browed  houses  came 
the  voices  of  little  children,  now  in  shrill  piping 
notes,  now  is  a  flow  of  liquid  melody.     A  young 


rill':     I'KOSCKMI'M     Ol      rilK     IIII-.AIKK    i>1      KMIKsUS 


THE  VALLEY  OF  THE  CAYSTER    147 

Greek  girl  lifted  up  a  baby  to  which  I  had  given 
a  small  coin,  that  I  might  see  the  smile  of  its 
pretty  eyes,  with  a  confidence  utterly  unhke  the 
attitude  of  the  Turkish  women,  who  again  and 
again  hid  the  faces  of  their  children  lest  in  some 
way  I  might  bewitch  them.  And,  watching  all,  the 
storks  craned  their  necks  in  the  dim  twiUght, 
fluttered  their  wings,  and  at  length,  as  if  satisfied, 
settled  quietly  in  their  nests. 

The  hill  of  Ayasoluk  is  an  elliptical  ridge  about 
two-thirds  of  a  mile  long,  increasing  in  altitude 
as  it  extends  from  south  to  north.  The  main 
street  meets  the  base  of  it  at  the  fountain,  about 
three  hundred  yards  from  the  depot ;  thence  it 
passes  around  the  southern  part,  which  is  occupied 
by  houses.  Some  of  these  houses  are  the  homes 
of  Greeks,  and  though  small  are  attractive.  One 
morning  while  stopping  to  admire  a  garden,  I 
was  invited  by  the  owner  to  enter.  Though  an 
unpretentious  carpenter,  his  home  was  charming 
in  its  simple  beauty.  He  led  me  along  a  walk  of 
slabs  of  marble,  which  once  had  adorned  ancient 
ruins,  and  between  beds  of  shrubs  and  flowering 
bushes  to  an  inner  court  encircled  by  walls 
covered  with  vines.  The  court  had  a  carefully 
mown  lawn  partly  shaded  by  trees  and  was 
bordered  by  rows  of  potted  plants  covered  with 
sweet-smelling  flowers.  It  seemed  an  abode  of 
contentment,  to  which  a  bird  in  a  cage  on  the 
lower  branch  of  a  tree  was  warbling  notes  of  cheer. 

From  this  main  street,  narrow  lanes  climb  the 


148  ASIA  MINOR 

ridge  to  the  homes  of  the  Turks.  Some  on  the 
south-east  side  are  plastered  houses  of  more  than 
one  story  surrounded  by  stone  walls  enclosing 
small  gardens  of  fruit  trees.  Their  furnishing  is 
of  the  simplest  character  ;  yet  at  the  windows 
of  two  or  three  I  saw  kilims  and  rugs  hanging  to 
air.  Others  have  a  less  inviting  appearance  ;  and 
on  the  western  side  of  the  ridge,  facing  the  plain 
of  Ephesus,  the  homes  are  little  m.ore  than  a 
jumble  of  huts,  distinguished  by  an  uncleanliness 
and  disorder  only  equalled  by  their  picturesque- 
ness.  Their  walls  are  made  either  of  sun-baked 
earth,  or  of  pieces  of  stone  of  all  sizes  and  shapes 
with  the  interstices  filled  with  clay,  and  have  a 
few  small  openings  for  windows.  While  some  of 
the  roofs  are  covered  with  tiles,  others  are  thatched 
with  rushes,  which  in  a  few  instances  are  also 
used  for  the  sides  of  the  huts.  Many  of  the  houses 
are  close  beside  small  sheds  where  shaggy  donkeys 
are  stabled  ;  and  the  open  spaces  in  front  of 
them,  though  only  a  few  yards  square,  are  planted 
with  vegetables,  or  more  often  are  merely  filthy 
spaces  v/here  dogs  and  chickens  run  and  scantily 
dressed  children  play.  Here  and  there,  with 
strange  incongruity,  a  fragment  of  carved  marble 
appears  in  the  sides  of  the  huts  or  in  the  crudely 
built  walls  supporting  the  terraces  before  them  ; 
and  yet  not  so  strange  after  all,  since  everything 
associated  with  these  homes,  which  are  more  like 
the  makeshift  habitations  of  Yuruks  than  the 
dwellings  of  Turks,  is  in  wretched  disarray. 


THE  VALLEY  OF  THE  CAYSTER    149 

The  people  of  this  part  of  Ayasoluk,  hke  their 
dwelHngs,  seem  more  primitive  than  those  on  the 
eastern  side  of  the  ridge.  As  I  passed  along  the 
hill -side  I  noticed  bent  women,  wretchedly  clad, 
hoeing  their  terraced  vegetable  gardens,  and  a 
ploughman  trudging  in  the  dank,  black  earth 
below.  Mothers  seated  on  rude  chairs  before  the 
doors  of  huts  were  carefully  combing  the  hair 
of  their  children,  just  as  they  constantly  do 
throughout  Asia  Minor,  even  amid  the  most 
squalid  surroundings.  A  man  squatting  in  an 
open  space  by  a  wooden  trough  was  soaking 
reeds  which  he  had  gathered  in  the  marshes, 
where  the  Cayster  overflows,  while  a  woman  by 
his  side  was  weaving  them  into  a  mat  on  a  crude 
loom  stretched  horizontally  on  the  ground.  As 
the  husband  was  present,  I  was  permitted  to 
enter  the  enclosure  and  watch  them  weave  just 
as  their  ancestors  had  probably  woven  thousands 
of  years  ago,  for  their  work  represented  the 
simplest,  if  not  the  earliest,  type  of  weaving, 
since  it  eliminates  the  necessity  of  spinning. 

The  town  occupies  only  the  lower  end  of  the 
hill ;  but  no  doubt  it  laps  over  part  of  the  ground 
occupied  by  the  Christian  city,  since  the  ruined 
gateway  of  the  old  citadel  that  enclosed  the 
Church  of  St.  John  stands  near  the  upper  edge 
of  the  houses.  Little  remains  of  the  early  struc- 
tures. Probably  their  stones  have  been  placed  in 
more  recent  buildings,  just  as  the  gateway  con- 
tained  parts   of   older   monuments   of   Ephesus. 


150  ASIA  MINOR 

Some  may  have  gone  into  the  large  Turkish 
castle  that  crowns  the  highest  point  of  the  ridge, 
or  into  the  still  imposing  ruin  that  rises  at  the 
foot  of  the  western  side  of  the  hill.  This  is  the 
mosque  of  Isa  Bey,  which  was  built  about  the 
middle  of  the  fourteenth  century  by  one  of  the 
last  of  the  line  of  Seljuks,  who  occupied  Ephesus 
and  Ayasoluk  during  parts  of  the  twelfth, 
thirteenth,  and  fourteenth  centuries.  Unlike 
most  of  the  mosques  of  Asia  Minor,  it  consists 
of  a  rectangular-shaped  building  divided  into 
two  distinct  parts :  the  place  of  worship, 
which  has  a  roof  surmounted  by  two  cupolas 
resting  on  four  monolithic  columns  that  were 
taken  from  the  gymnasium  of  Ephesus,  and  an 
uncovered  court  enclosed  by  walls  as  high  as 
those  of  the  mosque.  Formerly  the  court  con- 
tained a  stone  fountain,  and  was  surrounded  by 
a  Corinthian  colonnade ;  but  it  is  now  over- 
grown with  bushes  and  rank  grass,  and  charged 
with  noisome  air.  The  walls  of  the  mosque  are 
beginning  to  crumble  ;  the  minaret  is  shattered  ; 
yet  what  remains  of  the  marble  front  and  of  the 
beautiful  Seljukian  workmanship  at  the  portal 
and  windows  is  evidence  of  its  former  splendour. 
Even  if  one  could  wander  among  its  walls  with 
mind  detached  from  all  preconceived  influences, 
it  would  be  impossible  to  escape  from  the  subtle 
spell  of  its  reposeful  stateUness,  which  endures 
"^         even  in  its  ruin. 

%.        As  I  walked  for  the  first  time  to  Ephesus,  I 


THE  VALLEY  OF  THE  CAYSTER    151 

passed  a  tavern  on  the  outskirts  of  the  town  of 
Ayasoluk  ;  and,  while  noticing  the  objects  that 
seemed  strange,  I  was  observed  by  a  turbulent 
Turk  who  perhaps  had  disregarded  the  injunc- 
tion of  the  Koran  to  drink  no  wine.  The  memories 
of  the  recent  war  were  fresh.  He  waved  his 
hands  and  advanced  towards  me  vehemently 
shouting  the  word  "  Turk  "  so  repeatedly  that 
it  was  evident  he  was  anathematizing  all  others. 
His  attitude  became  so  threatening  that  I  un- 
hesitatingly followed  the  suggestion  of  another 
who  approached  and  from  behind  his  back 
signalled  that  I  had  better  depart.  Once  again 
at  Laodicea,  I  was  similarly  warned  by  a  Turk  ; 
and,  though  at  times  I  saw  men  who  would 
justify  the  cautions  I  had  received  from  Govern- 
ment officials,  it  was  also  my  fortune  to  meet 
Turks  who  were  most  kindly  disposed  and  ready 
to  assist  me.  Sometimes  in  my  wanderings  in 
Asia  Minor  I  was  more  than  a  hundred  miles 
from  a  European,  nor  did  I  always  remain  within 
an  hotel  after  dark  ;  yet  apart  from  the  acts  of 
small  boys,  who  occasionally  expressed  their  dis- 
approval of  my  appearance  by  throwing  stones, 
I  was  never  molested. 

No  other  dead  city  of  Asia  Minor  has  so  great 
a  fascination  as  Ephesus,  for  it  is  enshrined  in 
memory  with  a  few  of  the  earliest  classic  tradi- 
tions, with  some  of  the  immortal  names  of  profane 
and  sacred  history,  and  with  the  image  of  the 
greatest   temple   of    antiquity.      But,    unless   we 


152  ASIA  MINOR 

keep  ever  before  us  the  mental  pictures  of  the 
past  as  we  move  among  the  ruins,  we  shall  fail 
to  enjoy  them  to  the  fullest. 

The  marshy  land  lying  between  the  hill  of 
Ayasoluk  and  the  sea  was  not  always  as  it  is 
to-day.  Thirty  centuries  ago  the  waters  of  the 
gulf  extended  for  several  miles  eastward  into  the 
lower  part  of  the  present  valley  so  as  to  form 
an  inner  harbour,  land-locked  and  protected 
from  storms  by  the  surrounding  hills.  The 
climate  was  even  more  temperate  and  agreeable 
than  that  of  Smyrna  ;  the  soil  was  so  fertile  that 
slight  efforts  produced  the  necessaries  of  existence. 
Hence  it  happened  that  a  well-established  city 
stood  near  this  harbour  at  the  time  of  the  first 
historic  records.  Who  the  earliest  inhabitants 
were  is  not  known.  But  whether  Hittites  or 
Amazons,  or  Carians  or  Leleges,  as  alleged  by 
different  traditions,  the  probabiUty  is  that  when 
the  Ionian  colonists  reached  here,  about  the 
middle  of  the  eleventh  century  B.C.,  they  found 
a  mixed  race  composed  of  Asiatic  and  European 
elements. 

It  is  claimed  that  the  lonians  settled  on  the 
mountains  of  Coressus  and  Prion,  on  the  south 
side  of  the  Cayster,  while  the  older  inhabitants 
occupied  the  valley  near  Ayasoluk.  For  a  long 
time  both  races  continued  side  by  side  without 
either  absorbing  the  other,  each  cultivating  its 
own  land,  each  worshipping  its  own  deities.  Yet 
for  centuries  the  Asiatic   influence    seemed  the 


THE  VALLEY  OF  THE  CAYSTER    153 

stronger,  so  that  the  Greek  Hfe  yielded  to  some 
of  the  customs  of  Oriental  luxury,  and  the  Greek 
deities  were  clothed  with  the  attributes  of  the 
Asiatic  Cybele. 

The  geographic  position  of  the  city  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Cayster,  nearer  the  principal  part 
of  the  valley  of  the  Maeander  than  Priene  or 
Miletus,  and  almost  as  near  the  central  part  of 
the  valley  of  the  Hermus  as  Smyrna,  made  it  at 
a  very  early  period  one  of  the  great  marts  of  the 
Levant.  Even  in  the  eighth  century  B.C.  it 
maintained  with  the  Lydians  an  extensive  trade, 
which  in  the  following  century  became  so  impor- 
tant that  Gyges,  king  of  Sardis,  gave  his  daughter 
in  marriage  to  its  ruler  in  order  to  cement  the 
union  between  the  two  cities.  And  in  the  sixth 
century,  when  the  Ionian  colonists  had  increased 
to  such  an  extent  that  they  occupied  the  lower 
part  of  the  valley  of  the  Cayster,  Croesus  besieged 
the  city  with  the  intention  of  absorbing  it ;  but 
inspired  by  the  beauty  of  the  first  great  temple 
of  Artemis,  which  was  then  rising  on  the  plain, 
and  moved  by  superstition,  he  not  only  raised 
*the  siege,  but  donated  to  the  temple  some  bulls 
of  gold  and  most  of  its  columns. 

When  Lysimachus  received  Asia  Minor  as  part 
of  his  portion  of  the  empire  of  Alexander,  he 
decided  to  transfer  the  inhabitants  of  the  valley 
to  the  mountains  of  Coressus  and  Prion,  because 
the  silt  conveyed  by  the  Cayster  from  its  sources 
had   almost   completely   filled   the   harbour   and 


154  ASIA  MINOR 

was  spreading  over  the  valley  ;  but  he  succeeded 
only  after  overcoming  the  vigorous  opposition 
of  the  people  by  closing  the  natural  watercourses 
so  as  to  flood  their  homes.  He  then  built  pro- 
tecting walls  about  the  city  and,  destroying  the 
harbours  of  Lebedus  and  Colophon,  added  their 
inhabitants  to  the  population.  Later,  when 
Attains  II  of  Pergamus  succeeded  to  the 
sovereignty  of  Asia  Minor,  he  enlarged  its  harbours 
and  built  docks.  The  apostle  Paul  preached  in 
its  forum  ;  John  Hved  there  many  years  after 
his  vision  on  the  isle  of  Patmos,  and  died  there, 
it  is  said,  when  ninety-four  years  of  age.  Finally, 
during  the  Roman  period,  it  was  made  the  capital 
of  the  province  of  Asia,  and  became  the  most 
flourishing  city  in  Asia  Minor. 

The  continued  growth  and  prosperity  of 
Ephesus,  though  due  primarily  to  physical  causes, 
were  due  also,  and  more  than  is  generally  reahzed, 
to  its  attitude  towards  religion.  Not  only  were 
the  temples  that  rose  in  succession  on  the  plain 
marvels  of  splendour,  but  the  last  was  such  that 
it  has  been  termed  "  One  of  the  Seven  Wonders 
of  the  World."  Each  was  dedicated  to  Artemis 
of  the  Greeks,  the  Diana  of  the  Romans  ,  but, 
with  a  breadth  of  foresight  undoubtedly  dictated 
by  policy,  the  worship  was  not  entirely  in  accord- 
ance with  the  traditions  and  rites  of  the  Athenians- 
it  also  embraced  some  of  the  beliefs  and  religious 
customs  of  Asia  Minor.  The  statue  of  the  goddess 
represented  a  female  without  any  of  the  classic 


^^<^UBI.K-|■A\'KI•    SIKKKT    NKAE<     TIIK     IHKAIKK    Ol-     Kl'IIKSl'S 


THE  VALLEY  OF  THE  CAYSTER    155 

beauty  characteristic  of  the  Hellenic  goddess, 
with  the  lower  part  of  the  body  encased  like  a 
mummy  and  the  upper  part  covered  with  many 
breasts,  symbolic  of  the  fertility  of  the  earth. 
The  high  priest  of  the  temple,  called  Megabyzus, 
was  attended  by  a  body  of  women,  as  well  as  by 
eunuchs  who  in  a  frenzy  aroused  by  the  pomp 
and  excitement  of  religious  ceremonies  had  devoted 
themselves  to  the  service  of  the  goddess,  and  there- 
after dressed  as  women.  There  were  days  of 
festivities,  of  stately  processions,  and  also,  accord- 
ing to  Herodotus,  of  wild  orgies  in  which  the 
people  indulged  with  all  the  abandon  of  Asia. 
Ephesus,  indeed,  not  only  contained  the  most 
beautiful  temple  in  Asia  Minor,  but  celebrated 
its  religious  rites  with  a  splendour  and  sensuous 
magnificence  that  dazzled  even  the  Oriental 
mind,  so  that  it  became  a  Mecca  which  attracted 
the  devotees  of  many  sects. 

The  bustle  of  the  modern  cities  of  Rome  and 
Athens  is  so  out  of  harmony  with  the  silent 
monuments  of  their  past  as  to  mar  their  placid 
contemplation.  But  it  is  not  so  at  Ephesus.  A 
spirit  of  ineffable  calmness  pervades  the  valley 
from  Ayasoluk  to  the  sea  like  the  calmness  of 
the  sepulchre.  The  massive  ruins  of  Isa  Bey, 
rent  and  hoary  and  venerable,  and  a  line  of  little 
mosques  near  them  seem  like  some  impressive 
symbols  of  mute  serenity,  for  no  sound  is  ever 
heard  among  them  except  when  a  keeper  opens 
a  door  to  some  visitor.    The  marshy  plain  accen- 


156  ASIA  MINOR 

tuates  the  quietness,  since  the  voice  of  the  people 
who  enter  it  and  the  call  of  the  wild  birds  above 
it  are  lost  in  its  space.  And  so  the  mind  and 
feelings  are  prepared  by  the  attitude  of  the 
peaceful  surroundings  for  the  death-like  silence 
of  the  ancient  city  of  the  Ephesians. 

A  traveller  visiting  Ephesus  for  the  first  time  will 
receive  the  best  idea  of  its  situation  by  climbing 
the  hill  of  Ayasoluk,  and  viewing  it  from  the  edge 
of  the  ridge  near  the  site  of  the  Church  of  St. 
John.  Just  below  will  appear  the  twin  domes 
and  the  great  court  of  the  mosque  of  Isa  Bey. 
Three  hundred  yards  to  the  south-west  of  it,  he 
will  see  the  site  of  the  Temple  of  Diana,  now 
indicated  only  by  scrubs  and  rank  weeds  that 
cover  slight  elevations  of  earth  where  the  founda- 
tions of  the  walls  rested ;  and  looking  about  a 
mile  farther  to  the  south-west,  across  low,  partly 
cultivated  land,  he  will  see  the  twin  peaks  of 
Mt.  Prion  projected  against  the  higher  range  of 
Coressus,  -the  Hill  of  the  Nightingales,  which 
stretches  westward  to  the  sea.  There,  on  the 
flanks  of  Prion  and  Coressus  and  in  the  little 
valley  between  them,  the  Greeks  built  the  stadium, 
the  theatre,  the  forum,  and  most  of  the  ancient 
city  where  Antony  and  Cleopatra  whiled  away 
hours  of  forget  fulness,  and  the  apostles  Luke  and 
Paul  told  of  another  world.  The  ground  on 
which  this  ancient  city  stood  presents  a  scene  of 
surpassing  interest ;  yet  it  is  now  almost  for- 
saken except  for  the  shepherd  boys  who  pasture 


THE  VALLEY  OF  THE  CAYSTER    157 

their  goats  above  the  ruins,  or  the  strangers  who 
occasionally  wander  among  them. 

According  to  tradition,  the  first  object  of 
worship  of  the  Ephesians  was  a  wooden  image 
of  Artemis  sent  from  heaven  by  Zeus.  The 
shrine  it  occupied  was  succeeded  by  a  small 
temple  of  wood,  which  in  turn  was  followed  by 
others  in  stone  and  eventually  by  the  Ionic 
temple,  to  which  Croesus  contributed.  For  about 
a  century  this  temple  was  the  wonder  and  admira- 
tion of  the  world  ;  but  in  the  year  356  B.C.,  on 
the  night  when  the  Ephesians  said  their  goddess 
was  away  to  be  present  at  the  birth  of  Alexander 
the  Great,  it  was  burnt  by  Herostratus  in  the 
hope  of  thus  immortahzing  his  name. 

Not  discouraged,  the  Ephesians  at  once  began 
the  erection  of  a  still  greater  temple  planned  by 
Dinocrates  of  Macedonia.  For  two  hundred  and 
twenty  years  the  best  artisans  and  some  of  the 
greatest  sculptors  and  artists  were  engaged  in  its 
construction.  Most  of  it  was  of  a  beautiful  white 
marble  ;  the  only  wood  employed  was  the  finest 
of  cedar  and  cypress  ;  and  some  of  the  ornamenta- 
tion was  of  gold.  So  great  was  the  enthusiasm 
that  women  sacrificed  their  jewels  for  it,  while  the 
cities  of  Asia  contributed  columns.  When  com- 
pleted, it  surpassed  all  other  temples  in  grandeur 
and  magnificence  ;  and  such  was  its  fame  that  in 
time  it  became  a  treasure-house  where  the  people 
of  different  cities  stored  priceless  sculptures  and 
paintings.    Even  after  Ephesus  became  part  of  the 


158  ASIA  MINOR 

Roman  Empire,  the  temple  was  regarded  with  high 
imperial  favour  :  Octavius  built  about  it  a  new 
peribolos,  and  Trajan  gave  to  it  new  doors  of  brass. 
It  stood  for  almost  four  hundred  years  after  its 
completion,  until,  in  the  year  262  a.d.,  it  was  rifled 
by  the  Goths,  and  then  slowly  dismembered  by 
Byzantines  and  Seljuks,  who  carried  away  its  un- 
broken columns  and  sculptured  marbles. 

The  replacing  of  each  of  the  earher  temples  by  a 
larger  was  due  in  a  measure  to  the  increase  of  the 
population  of  the  city,  and  also  to  the  constant 
elevation  of  the  surface  of  the  plain  by  the  silt  of 
the  river.  When  Mr.  Wood,  the  famous  EngUsh 
archaeologist,  uncovered  the  ruins  half  a  century 
ago,  he  found  the  remains  of  several  temples  one 
above  the  other  ;  and  when  Mr.  Hogarth  explored 
the  same  ruins  more  recently,  he  found  the  floors 
of  three  more  temples  beneath  these.  The  lowest 
is  so  far  below  the  present  surface  that  during 
winter  and  spring  it  is  completely  covered  by 
water,  and  even  the  floor  of  the  last  temple  is 
buried  to  a  depth  of  nearly  twenty  feet. 

From  what  is  left  it  is  impossible  to  reconstruct 
the  last  and  greatest  temple  ;  yet  from  the  ac- 
counts of  such  historians  as  Pliny,  and  from  the 
excavations  of  explorers,  a  general  picture  may  be 
drawn.  From  the  four  sides  of  a  base,  approxi- 
mately four  hundred  and  twenty  feet  long  and  two 
hundred  and  forty  feet  wide,  steps  rose  about  ten 
feet  to  the  rectangular  pavement  on  which  the 
cella  of  the  temple  stood.    A  double  row  of  Ionic 


THE  VALLEY  OF  THE  CAYSTER    159 

columns,  one  hundred  in  all  and  about  fifty-six 
feet  high,  surrounded  it,  and  assisted  in  support- 
ing a  roof  of  marble  tiles.    Some  of  the  columns 
were  of  grey,  some  of  red  granite  ;    those  which 
were  removed  to  the  mosque  of  Hagia  Sophia  in 
Stamboul  are  of  verd-antique  ;   and  as  was  rarely 
the  case  in  ancient  architecture,  a  number  at  each 
end  not  only  stood  on  pedestals  sculptured  in  high 
rehef ,  but  were  themselves  sculptured  in  low  relief 
for  a  height  of  six  feet.    One  of  the  columns  was 
the  work  of  the  celebrated  sculptor  Scopas  ;   and 
portions  of  the  frieze  which  were  found  display 
workmanship  of  the  highest  artistic  order.     The 
vestibule  contained  an  altar  made  by  Praxiteles, 
and  also  a  gold  statue  of  the  goddess  wearing  on 
her  head,  like  the  Hittite  deities,  a  mural  crown. 
As  far  as  is  known,  no  light  of  day  entered  the 
sanctuary  except  through  the  doorway  before  the 
vestibule.     Yet  the  flare  of  countless  lamps,  the 
reflected  sheen  of  polished  bronze  and  silver  and 
gold,  the  lustre  of  stainless  marble,  the  waving  of 
coloured    plumes,    the    bewildering    radiance    of 
jewelled  garments  of  priests  and  priestesses,  and 
the  misty  veils  of  smoking  incense  that  rose  from 
the  great  altar,  must  have  presented  such  a  scene 
of  dazzling  splendour  as  would  readily  fascinate 
credulous  and  half -barbaric  Oriental  minds. 

From  this  spot,  which  once  witnessed  the  con- 
course of  thousands  of  people,  and  now  is  utterly 
forsaken,  two  roads  lead  to  the  south-west,  where 
the  brush  and  the  straggling  trees  of  Prion  and 


i6o  ASIA  MINOR 

Coressus  are  climbing  over  the  relics  of  the  same 
monuments  that  were  seen  by  St.  Paul  nearly 
nineteen  centuries  ago.  One  passes  along  the 
northern  side  of  Mt.  Prion  to  the  stadium  ;  the 
other,  the  ancient  road,  turning  more  to  the  south, 
enters  the  city  by  the  low  divide  between  it  and 
Mt.  Coressus.  For  part  of  the  way,  this  road  was 
probably  the  via  sacra,  which  was  lined  by  tombs 
of  Greeks,  Romans,  and  Byzantines.  One  of  them 
is  said  to  be  the  tomb  of  Androclus,  the  reputed 
founder  of  Ephesus,  the  son  of  Codrus,  king  of 
Athens.  A  few  hundred  yards  farther  and  due 
south  of  Mt.  Prion  it  passes  through  the  Mag- 
nesian  gates,  so  called  because  they  opened  on  the 
old  highway  to  Magnesia  on  the  Maeander. 

From  the  gates  a  street  extends  over  the  divide, 
passing  on  the  right  a  Roman  gymnasium,  and 
then  the  odeum,  which  had  a  white  marble  pro- 
scenium and  a  Corinthian  colonnade  of  red  granite. 
On  the  left,  it  passes  in  succession  a  circular  Greek 
temple,  which  was  surrounded  by  sixteen  columns 
and  was  once  regarded  as  the  tomb  of  St.  Luke  ; 
the  wool  market  ;  a  Roman  temple,  of  which  little 
remains  but  a  few  broken  Ionic  shafts  ;  and  a 
Byzantine  church,  now  rapidly  crumbling  away. 
A  little  distance  beyond,  the  road  turns  almost  at 
right  angles  to  the  north  as  it  approaches  the  site 
of  the  library  and  the  ruins  of  the  Roman  agora, 
where  a  beautiful  colonnade  surrounded  a  mosaic 
pavement,  and  passing  the  theatre,  on  the  right, 
continues  two  thousand  feet  to  the  stadium. 


THE  VALLEY  OF  THE  CAYSTER    i6i 

From  the  slopes  of  Mt.  Prion,  above  the  theatre, 
most  of  the  hills  and  the  plain  to  the  west  of  the 
city  may  clearly  be  seen.  To  the  left,  Mt.  Coressus 
rises  as  a  long  ridge,  on  which  were  many  of  the 
houses  of  the  people,  the  citadel,  the  wall  of  Lysim- 
achus,  and  the  two-storied  Greek  tower  where, 
according  to  tradition,  St.  Paul  was  imprisoned. 
To  the  right,  the  Cayster,  which  once  flowed  more 
rapidly  and  abounded  with  grey  mullet,  now  winds 
sluggishly  by  scattered  tracts  of  cultivated  land 
and  through  a  marshy  plain,  which  in  winter  is 
the  home  of  countless  wild  fowl.  And  four  miles 
to  the  west  the  ^Egean  Sea  appears  distinctly,  as 
the  waves  reflect  the  glittering  sunbeams. 

After  the  old  harbour  became  filled  with  silt  the 
Greeks  excavated  a  new  port,  which  was  ap- 
proached by  a  street  two  thousand  feet  long  and 
over  sixty  feet  wide,  starting  from  in  front  of  a 
fountain  in  the  wall  of  the  theatre.  This  street 
became  the  most  important  thoroughfare  of  the 
city  :  the  principal  buildings  were  grouped  about 
it  ;  and  rows  of  columns,  statues,  and  elaborate 
circular  monuments  lined  both  of  its  sides.  At  the 
port  it  terminated  in  a  beautiful  triple  gate  open- 
ing on  to  the  quay,  which  also  was  adorned  with  a 
colonnade,  and  connected  at  the  south-east  end 
with  a  building  of  marble,  used  as  a  market  or 
place  of  exchange.  The  Romans  probably  built 
the  small  agora  on  the  north  side  of  this  street, 
and  at  a  short  distance  from  it  the  Christians 
erected  a  *'  double  church,"  as  it  is  termed,  where 


i62  ASIA  MINOR 

in  the  year  431  a.d.  the  Third  (Ecumenical  Council 
assembled. 

These  different  buildings,  which  were  associated 
largely  with  the  everyday  life  of  the  people,  are  for 
the  most  part  clustered  together  ;  but  the  stadium 
is  widely  separated  from  them  at  a  slight  elevation 
above  the  plain  on  the  northern  flank  of  Mt.  Prion. 
Perhaps  it  was  on  account  of  the  view  over  the 
city  and  the  valley  and  the  port  that  this  spot  was 
selected  to  keep  alive  in  the  minds  of  the  people 
the  history  of  their  past  struggles  and  present 
greatness.  It  has  a  length  of  seven  hundred  feet, 
not  including  the  amphitheatre  at  the  eastern  end. 
On  the  north  side,  parts  of  vaults  that  once  sup- 
ported a  terrace  are  covered  with  soil  where  bushes 
and  even  trees  have  taken  root,  and  at  the 
western  end  the  bases  of  a  portico  are  still  in  place. 
But  the  columns  and  the  marble  seats  have  en- 
tirely disappeared  ;  and  the  arena,  where  contests 
once  occurred,  is  now  a  field  sown  with  beans  by 
a  few  natives  who  live  in  huts  near  by. 

It  is  the  theatre,  however,  that  awakens  the 
greatest  interest.  Without  a  doubt  it  was  used 
on  various  occasions  for  the  discussion  of  ques- 
tions of  public  pohcy  affecting  the  body  of  the 
citizens.  It  was  to  this  place  the  people  who  were 
excited  to  riot  by  the  silversmiths,  whose  trade  in 
the  images  of  Diana  was  threatened  by  the  preach- 
ing of  the  new  religion,  "rushed  with  one  accord  " 
when  they  had  seized  the  companions  of  Paul.  In 
no  other  building  of  Ephesus  would  it  be  possible 


VfttSlGMKNT^    OK    CAK\K1)    MAKH 


^. 


I.K    I'ROM    THK    KUhNS    AT    KI'IIKSUS 


% 


'^^ 


THE  VALLEY  OF  THE  CAYSTER    163 

for  a  trained  orator  to  exercise  such  influence  over 
the  minds  of  his  hearers,  for,  though  the  temple  of 
Diana  was  hidden  behind  Mt.  Prion,  about  them 
were  grouped  their  homes,  their  pubhc  buildings, 
and  the  numerous  monuments  of  their  greatness, 
expressed  in  glistening  marble  wonderfully  sculp- 
tured. 

It  was  the  work  of  Lysimachus,  though  many 
changes  and  additions  were  subsequently  made. 
When  finally  completed  it  was  one  of  the  largest 
theatres  in  Asia,  as  its  sixty-six  rows  of  seats, 
divided  into  three  tiers  by  horizontal  passages, 
were  capable  of  holding  twenty-five  thousand 
people.  The  seats  were  made  of  semicircular 
stone  forms  covered  with  marble  slabs  ;  but  ex- 
cept at  the  south-west  corner,  only  the  forms  on 
which  the  slabs  rested  remain.  The  wings  which 
gave  access  to  the  passages  at  each  end  rose  one 
hundred  feet  high,  but  now  they  are  almost 
entirely  gone  ;  and  so  is  the  flooring  of  the  pro- 
scenium, though  most  of  the  triple  rows  of  columns 
that  supported  it  are  still  standing.  A  collection 
of  broken  shafts,  capitals,  and  shattered  architraves 
with  exquisite  carvings  occupy  the  floor  of  the 
scena,  whose  walls  have  been  entirely  demolished. 
Weeds  and  bushes  grow  within  the  orchestra  and 
clamber  up  the  hill  where  the  seats  once  were. 
The  shroud  of  desolation  is  cast  over  all,  so  that 
only  in  imagination  can  be  resurrected  a  picture 
of  the  days  when  here  were  enacted  some  of  the 
greatest  of  classic  dramas.    And  yet  in  all  its  ruin 


i64  ASIA  MINOR 

and  awesome  loneliness,  broken  only  by  the  note 
of  a  bird  or  the  sight  of  some  lizard  silently  gliding 
among  the  stones,  it  evokes  feelings  that  leave 
behind  earnest  longings  to  return. 

The  ruins  of  ancient  Ephesus  are  visited  but 
little  by  either  men  or  animals.    On  the  northern 
side  of  Mt.  Prion  I  saw  one  afternoon  a  small 
brush  hut,  a  patch  of  vegetables,  a  picketed  horse 
nibbling  the  grass,  and  prone  on  the  ground  a 
sleeping  man  guarded  by  a  hungry-looking  dog. 
On  the  plain  between  Mt.  Prion  and  Ayasoluk  I 
was  stopped  by  a  native  on  foot  accompanied  by 
another  riding  a  donkey  that  evidently  was  very 
much  overloaded.    The  native  offered  me  a  carved 
stone,  which  he  claimed  to  be  part  of  some  ancient 
jewellefy,  and  as  I  did  not  accept  it  passed  on  ;  but 
a  moment  later  I  heard  a  discussion  and  then  a 
heavy  thud.     Looking  around,  I  saw  the  saddle 
had  turned  and  that  the  rider  was  sprawling  on 
the  ground.     The  donkey  made  no  effort  to  run, 
but   stretching  his  neck  expressed  his  sense  of 
humour  by  braying  lustily.    Then  from  Mt.  Prion 
echoed  the  long  bray  of  a  sympathetic  friend.    But 
the  few  instances  such  as  these  when  I  saw  or 
heard  a  man  or  animal  in  the  valley  or  among  the 
hills  and  ruins,  only  accentuated  the  pervading 
solitude  and  silence,  which  here,  perhaps  because 
of  the  fellowship  of  the  memories  awakened,  never 
depress  but  attract  one  with  a  strange  enchant- 
ment. 

On  this  afternoon  in  April  the  sun  was  shining 


THE  VALLEY  OF  THE  CAYSTER    165 

from  a  cloudless  sky.  The  ground  was  still  soaked 
with  the  winter's  rains,  and  pools  of  water  were 
fringed  with  small  marsh  flowers  with  yellowish 
green  button-like  centres  surrounded  by  white 
petals.  In  drier  spots,  an  abundance  of  pink 
mallow  and  the  needle-like  aliilerilla  was  growing. 
Along  the  hill-sides  wild  mustard  mingled  with 
marguerites,  yellow  pea-flowers,  and  dainty  Httle 
forget-me-nots  ;  while  among  the  ruins  appeared 
the  yellow  blossoms  of  the  angelica  and  the  bright 
pinkish  flowers  of  the  Judas-tree.  Deadly  miasmas 
might  lurk  in  the  dark  low  places  ;  jackals  might 
hide  among  the  rocks  ;  but  the  brightly  smiling 
flowers  and  the  soft  voices  of  birds  warbling  their 
sweet  songs  of  spring  created  a  feeling  of  perfect 
peace  and  security. 

Again  and  again  the  city  of  the  Ephesians  rises 
before  my  mind  with  a  claim  for  recognition  shared 
equally  by  no  other  of  the  dead  cities  of  Asia.  I 
can  see  even  the  little  weeds  thrusting  up  their 
thick  leaves  from  the  narrow  spaces  between 
marble  slabs  in  the  paved  street,  which  is  so  much 
the  whiter  and  more  beautiful  in  contrast.  I  can 
still  feel  the  fascination  of  looking  among  the  wild 
grasses  and  flowers  for  the  delicately  carved  frag- 
ments of  cornice,  frieze,  and  capital,  which  convey, 
though  vaguely,  an  idea  of  the  early  grandeur  of 
the  city.  I  remember  that  once,  as  I  scrambled 
among  the  shrubs  for  a  better  view  of  the  distant 
sea,  their  bruised  stems  and  blossoms  filled  the  air 
with  aromatic  odours.    Nothing  stirred.    Not  even 


i66  ASIA  MINOR 

the  droning  sound  of  insects  broke  the  stillness. 
As  far  as  I  knew  I  was  utterly  alone,  until  a  boy 
who  had  been  quietly  feeding  his  kids  on  the  side 
of  Mt.  Prion,  came  down  to  offer  some  small  copper 
coins  which  he  claimed  to  have  found  among  the 
ruins.  I  sent  him  away  with  a  few  pieces  of 
modern  Turkish  money,  and  then  sat  down  at 
the  upper  edge  of  the  theatre  to  gaze  at  the  relics 
of  magnificent  piles,  at  the  fragments  of  marble 
scattered  amid  the  debris  of  monuments  like 
blanched  bones  in  a  wilderness,  and  to  dream  in 
the  silent  hour  of  a  golden  sunset  of  this  ancient 
city  so  calmly  resting  in  its  eternal  sleep. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

THE  VALLEY  OF  THE  MEANDER  :  MAGNESIA  AD 
M^ANDRUM,  AIDIN  (TRALLES),  PRIENE,  COL- 
OSSiE,  LAODICEA,   HIERAPOLIS 

THE  Maeander  has  a  length  of  one  hundred 
and  seventy  miles,  which  exceeds  that 
of  any  other  river  flowing  from  Asia 
Minor  into  the  iEgean  Sea.  Where  it 
descends  from  the  western  slopes  of  the  Phrygian 
mountains  it  is  a  turbid  stream  dashing  through 
narrow  valleys  surrounded  by  well-timbered  moun- 
tains. In  the  middle  of  its  course,  where  it  receives 
two  important  tributaries  from  the  south,  but  none 
of  any  consequence  from  the  north,  it  flows  less 
rapidly.  At  a  distance  of  sixty  miles  from  its 
mouth  it  begins  to  creep  slowly,  and  near  its 
end  it  becomes  a  sluggish  river  which  for  cen- 
turies has  gradually  been  filhng  the  valley  by  the 
sediment  brought  from  the  mountains.  In  ancient 
lore,  Daedalus  is  said  to  have  received  his  idea  of 
the  labyrinth  in  which  the  Minotaur  was  kept  from 
the  innumerable  windings  of  its  lower  tortuous 
course. 

No  other  valley  of  Asia  was  more  celebrated,  or 
contained  so  many  classic  cities  :   Miletus,  Priene, 

167 


i68  ASIA  MINOR 

Magnesia,  Tralles,  Hierapolis,  Colossse,  and  Lao- 
dicea  ;   though  all  now  have  passed  away. 

The  railway  from  Ayasoluk  to  the  valley  of  the 
Maeander  crosses  an  extremely  picturesque  moun- 
tain divide,  separating  it  from  the  valley  of  the 
Cayster.  The  many  glens  that  crease  the  moun- 
tain's sides  have  well-cultivated  farms,  orchards 
of  figs  and  olives,  and  pretty  red-tiled  houses, 
daintily  placed,  and  shaded  by  Lombardy  poplars. 
Groups  of  men  enveloped  in  huge  trousers,  and 
women  in  bright-coloured  dresses,  toil  between 
schistous  rocks  with  mattocks  ;  while  sleepy  oxen 
scratch  the  rich  dark  soil  of  larger  spaces  with 
wooden  ploughs.  Here  maidenhair  and  wild 
flowers  grow  on  the  banks  of  brooks  ;  here  the 
bright  leaves  of  the  Judas-tree  mingle  with  the 
sombre  foliage  of  such  dells  as  were  the  haunts  of 
Pan.  There  are  spots  that  in  the  spring  of  the  year 
would  arouse  the  imagination  of  a  lyric  poet,  and 
others  that  could  inspire  a  Homer. 

For  a  short  distance  on  the  western  side  of  the 
divide  the  railway  ascends  a  limestone  gorge, 
which  is  heavily  wooded  from  the  tops  of  the  ridges 
to  the  hurrying  stream  below.  Where  the  gorge 
is  narrow,  a  Roman  aqueduct  of  a  double  tier  of 
arches  rising  one  above  the  other  spans  the  stream  ; 
where  it  widens,  bits  of  old  stone  walls  half  hidden 
by  myrtles  mark  the  habitations  of  former  men. 
Just  beyond  the  summit  the  road  enters  the  ravine 
of  the  Lethaeus,  whose  steep  banks  are  partly 
covered  with  clumps  of  pines  not  over  twenty  feet 


THE  VALLEY  OF  THE  MEANDER   169 

high,  and  with  dense  masses  of  dark  fohage,  be- 
tween which  may  be  seen  the  froth  of  swirhng 
waters.  The  brilhantly  coloured  Judas-tree  ap- 
pears everyw^here,  as  well  as  bushes  with  red  leaves 
and  other  bushes  with  yellow  flowers.  At  length, 
just  before  emptying  into  the  Mseander,  the 
Lethaeus  passes  through  open  country  that  has 
the  sweetness  of  pastoral  scenes,  and  between 
cultivated  orchards  of  figs  and  olives. 

From  the  earliest  times  the  valley  of  the 
Maeander  has  been  noted  for  its  figs,  which  because 
of  their  place  of  export  are  known  to  the  Western 
world  as  Smyrna  figs.  They  grow  in  great  num- 
bers about  the  small  town  of  Balachik,  which  is 
at  the  junction  of  the  branch  railway  extending 
southward  to  Sokia.  No  doubt  they  were  culti- 
vated by  Greeks  before  the  coming  of  the  Turks  ; 
but  now  there  is  a  division  of  labour — the  Turks 
as  a  rule  work  in  the  orchards  ;  and  the  Greeks, 
when  undisturbed  by  war,  attend  to  the  sale  of  the 
fruit.  And  so  it  happens  that  the  population  of 
Balachik  is  divided  between  the  two  races,  whose 
homes  may  be  distinguished  by  a  difference  in  their 
character.  The  houses  of  the  Greeks  usually  have 
a  modern  or  European  appearance  ;  but  for  the 
most  part  they  are  of  rough  stone,  or  of  adobe 
plastered  and  whitewashed,  and  have  gardens  of 
flowers.  The  houses  of  the  Turks,  on  the  other 
hand,  frequently  have  small  latticed  windows  and 
an  appearance  of  seclusion  suggesting  mystery. 
Yet  it  is  well  to  remember  that  the  house  which  is 


170  ASIA  MINOR 

the  most  picturesque  when  viewed  from  a  discreet 
distance  is  not  invariably  the  most  attractive  to 
one  who  must  spend  a  night  under  its  roof. 

A  few  miles  to  the  south  of  Balachik  the  railway 
for  Sokia  passes  through  the  walls  of  Magnesia  ad 
Maeandrum,  as  it  was  called  by  the  Romans  to 
distinguish  it  from  Magnesia  ad  Sipylum,  in  the 
valley  of  the  Hermus.  Once  this  city  rivalled 
Ephesus  and  Sardis  in  importance  ;  but  now  it  is 
utterly  forsaken,  except  for  the  few  families  of 
Circassians  who  inhabit  the  hamlet  of  Tekke  on 
one  edge  of  it,  and  the  Yuruks  who  occasionally 
pitch  their  black  tents  among  the  stagnant  pools 
of  pestilence  scattered  over  it.  According  to  tra- 
dition, it  was  founded  by  the  Thessalonians  at  a  very 
early  period,  but  was  destroyed  by  the  Cimmerians 
about  the  beginning  of  the  seventh  century  B.C. 
A  little  later  it  was  rebuilt  with  greater  magnifi- 
cence, and  for  a  short  period  was  the  capital  of  a 
Persian  satrapy.  Most  of  it  is  now  in  ruins  ;  but 
the  little  that  remains  of  the  agora,  temple  of  Zeus, 
theatre  and  gymnasium,  is  in  itself  sufficient  evi- 
dence of  the  city's  early  importance.  It  was, 
however,  the  temple  of  Artemis,  situated  between 
the  agora  and  the  present  railway,  that  was  the 
most  famous  of  all  the  ancient  buildings.  This 
temple  was  nearly  two  hundred  feet  long,  and 
pseudodipteral,  with  columns  of  the  Ionic  order, 
but  those  of  the  peribolos  were  Doric.  Parts  of 
the  frieze,  on  which  were  represented  battling 
Amazons,  who  play  such  an  important  part  in  the 


A     \|i)l  1  AH 


THE  VALLEY  OF  THE  IVL^ANDER    171 

mythical  foundations  of  so  many  cities  of  Asia 
Minor,  are  now  in  the  Louvre  and  in  the  royal 
museums  at  Constantinople  and  Berlin.  Yet  these 
fragments  give  no  adequate  conception  of  the 
magnificence  of  the  structure  that  was  described 
by  Strabo  as  surpassing  in  its  harmonious  details, 
and  in  its  beauty  as  a  whole,  the  still  more  cele- 
brated temple  at  Ephesus. 

The  town  of  Sokia,  which  was  so  named  by  the 
Turks  on  account  of  the  invigorating  winds  that 
sweep  through  the  valley,  is  a  few  miles  to  the 
south  of  Magnesia.  It  was  my  good  fortune  to 
have  a  letter  to  the  local  manager  of  an  American 
company  that  has  a  large  establishment  there  for 
treating  the  roots  of  the  liquorice  plants  which 
grow  abundantly  in  the  valley  of  the  Maeander. 
For  when  I  arose  on  the  morning  after  my  arrival, 
I  found  at  the  door  of  the  hotel  a  bay  stallion  of 
fine  mettle  on  which  I  was  to  ride  to  Priene,  as 
well  as  a  Circassian  who  was  to  be  my  guide,  and  a 
Greek  who  was  to  be  my  cicerone,  mounted  on 
similar  animals.  The  Greek  was  as  communicative 
as  the  limitations  of  our  knowledge  of  a  common 
language  would  permit.  He  confided  to  me  that 
he  had  a  httle  farm  in  a  dell  not  far  away,  where 
he  was  wont  to  retreat  with  his  wife  and  children 
when  not  engaged  at  the  factory  ;  and  pointed  out 
at  the  base  of  the  mountain  beyond  the  city  the 
comfortable  new  dwellings  the  company  had  pro- 
vided for  its  former  employes  unable  any  longer 
to  work.     He  also  said  that  a  village  near  Sokia 


172  ASIA  MINOR 

had  a  settlement  of  a  thousand  Circassians,  of 
whom  the  women  differed  from  the  native  women 
in  being  both  gentle  and  handsome. 

The  road  we  took  along  the  western  side  of  the 
valley  skirts  the  base  of  Mt.  Mycale,  where  the 
ground  is  firm  ;  more  to  the  east,  the  Maeander 
twists  back  and  forth  through  a  marshy  plain 
partly  overgrown  with  rank  grass  and  reeds,  from 
which,  as  we  passed,  frightened  wild  fowl  were 
rising.  Invigorated  by  air  that  was  cool  and  fresh 
after  a  night's  rain,  the  horses  galloped  freely, 
now  outstripping  a  string  of  forty-one  laden  camels 
moving  with  swinging  tread,  now  leaving  behind 
a  shepherd  guarding  his  flock  of  sheep,  as  well  as 
natives  on  donkeys  bearing  to  Sokia  loads  of 
liquorice  roots.  A  little  beyond  we  skirted  on  our 
right  pastoral  nooks  in  the  folds  of  hills  ;  on 
our  left,  stagnant  pools  where  tall  grasses  grow. 
Farther  to  the  south,  where  rich  soil  covers  part 
of  the  low  lands  near  the  base  of  the  mountain, 
we  passed  fields  of  grain,  orchards,  here  and  there 
little  houses  tucked  away  beneath  poplars,  and 
near  Priene  a  very  picturesque  village  perched 
above  the  valley,  with  many  of  the  houses  sur- 
rounded by  small  flower  gardens.  At  length, 
within  a  quarter  of  a  mile  of  the  ancient  city,  we 
reached  an  old  mill  with  huge  discs  of  stone,  turned 
by  water  flowing  from  the  same  densely  wooded 
ravine  that  once  supplied  the  Prienese.  And 
before  a  little  house,  hardly  a  khan,  with  stone 
walls  and  moss-covered  tile  roof,  we  unsaddled  our 


THE  VALLEY  OF  THE  MEANDER    173 

horses,  and  drank  delicious  tea  made  in  the  simple 
fashion  of  the  Turk. 

As  is  the  case  with  many  of  the  early  Hellenic 
cities  of  Asia  Minor,  Priene,  at  different  periods, 
occupied  slightly  different  sites.  The  exact  situa- 
tion of  the  first  city  is  unknown,  but  it  was  prob- 
ably at  the  edge  of  the  valley  near  the  later  city. 
It  was  a  port  on  a  bay  of  the  ^Egean  Sea,  which  is 
now  about  nine  miles  distant.  Not  improbably, 
just  as  eventually  the  silt  filled  the  gulf  and 
banished  the  waters  to  the  west,  it  also  covered 
parts  of  the  early  settlement,  and  drove  the  people 
to  place  the  new  city  on  a  shelf  of  rock  two  or  three 
hundred  feet  above  the  plain. 

The  founding  of  the  colony  is  supposed  to  have 
occurred  about  the  year  1000  B.C.,  and  has  been 
ascribed  to  ^pytus,  a  nephew  of  the  reputed 
founder  of  Ephesus.  The  Greeks  soon  vanquished 
the  native  Carians,  and  later  joined  the  league  of 
the  Ionian  cities.  But  in  time  their  descendants 
became  enervated  by  the  mildness  of  the  climate, 
so  that  during  the  seventh  century  they  were  over- 
thrown by  the  Lydian  Ardys,  son  of  Gyges.  Later 
the  Persians  took  their  city  ;  then  Lysimachus  and 
Antiochus  in  turn  added  it  to  their  domains  ;  and 
finally  it  became  part  of  the  Roman  province  of 
Asia. 

Though  Priene  produced  Bias,  one  of  the  Seven 
Grecian  Sages,  and  took  part  in  the  Peloponnesian 
War,  it  was  never  a  metropohs  Uke  Ephesus  or 
Smyrna,  nor  the  capital  of  an  extensive  country 


174  ASIA  MINOR 

like  Sardis  or  Pergamus.  It  was  merely  a  promi- 
nent town  of  four  or  five  thousand  people  ;  yet  it 
was  a  fully  developed  civic  unit,  a  model  which  is 
the  more  interesting  to  study  because  its  remains 
have  been  excavated  so  completely  as  to  display 
a  typical  Ionic  city  of  about  the  fourth  century 
B.C.,  just  as  the  uncovered  Pompeii  represents  a 
suburban  Roman  city  of  the  time  of  the  earliest 
emperors.  Undoubtedly  it  was  laid  out  with  more 
than  usual  regularity,  for  the  streets  extend  in 
straight  lines  almost  due  east  and  west  and  north 
and  south,  so  as  to  divide  it  into  rectangular  blocks; 
yet  differences  in  elevation  and  in  the  character  of 
the  buildings  give  diversity.  The  western  half, 
which  contained  most  of  the  residences,  slopes 
gradually  from  the  plain  to  the  terrace  of  the 
eastern  half,  where  the  principal  public  buildings 
were  ;  and  the  northern  end,  where  the  theatre 
stood,  begins  slightly  to  ascend  the  slope  of  the 
mountain. 

As  we  walk  among  the  relics  of  its  ancient  walls, 
where  flagstones  echo  the  tread  of  footsteps  in  the 
intense  silence  of  the  atmosphere,  there  are  awak- 
ened ill-defined  longings  for  a  sight  of  the  city  as 
it  was  in  the  ancient  days  when  the  Prienese  lived 
there.  And  if  we  look  long  enough  and  think  hard 
enough,  a  phantom  city,  as  it  were,  a  creation  de- 
rived from  classic  knowledge  applied  to  these 
ruins,  rises  before  our  eyes.  We  may  almost  see 
a  few  of  the  inhabitants  entering  at  the  western 
gate  and  ascending  the  principal  street  that  leads 


THE  VALLEY  OF  THE  M/EANDEK    175 

across  the  terrace  to  the  eastern  gate.  They  seem 
for  a  moment  to  glance  at  the  temple  of  Cybele  on 
the  right ;  then,  ascending  a  little  farther,  some 
turn  aside  into  more  narrow  ways,  to  go  to  their 
homes.  Some  continue  along  the  principal  street, 
passing  before  a  public  fountain  of  marble,  not  far 
from  the  level  of  the  terrace,  where  the  cool  water 
that  descends  from  a  ravine  on  the  side  of  Mt. 
Mycale  issues  from  the  mouth  of  a  lion's  head. 
Pursuing  their  way  a  little  more,  they  appear  to 
separate.  A  few  enter  the  market  place  on  the 
right,  and  as  they  wander  from  stall  to  stall, 
haggle  over  the  leg  of  a  goat,  a  sextarius  of  olives 
or  a  gudgeon  fresh  from  the  sea.  Others  go  to  the 
agora,  which  extends  to  the  east  of  the  market 
place  for  nearly  a  hundred  yards  in  length,  and 
entering  at  the  north  side,  which  is  completely 
open,  walk  beneath  the  portico  of  Doric  columns, 
in  front  of  the  shops  that  surround  the  three  re- 
maining sides,  and  gaze  at  the  wares  displayed,  or 
indulge  in  the  latest  gossip.  We  may  almost  see 
one  who  is  rheumatic  limping  to  the  temple  of 
vEsculapius,  which  adjoins  the  agora  ;  and  another, 
intent  on  learning  the  latest  official  decrees,  cross- 
ing the  street  to  mount  the  steps  of  the  Sacred 
Portico,  which  faces  outward  for  the  length  of 
three  full  squares,  and  contains  bronze  and  marble 
statues,  as  well  as  the  high  altar  before  which  on 
solemn  occasions  the  people  gathered  to  witness 
sacrifices  to  the  gods.  Others  turn  northward  and 
disappear  in  the  direction  of  the  public  buildings. 


176  ASIA  MINOR 

One  of  these  buildings,  to  the  rear  of  the  eastern 
end  of  the  Sacred  Portico,  was  the  Ecclesiasterion, 
or  senate  house  of  the  city,  a  small  building  of 
nearly  square  shape,  with  tiers  of  marble  seats 
rising  about  three  of  the  sides,  and  with  a  low 
marble  altar  for  sacrificial  purposes  in  the  centre. 
At  the  time  of  our  visit,  wild  flowers  were  growing 
in  the  soil  that  had  accumulated  about  the  altar, 
weeds  had  taken  root  among  the  seats  ;  yet  as  a 
whole  the  building,  which  was  uncovered,  was  in 
excellent  preservation.  The  Prytaneum,  adjoin- 
ing it  on  the  east,  was  the  public  hall  in  which  the 
hospitality  of  the  city  was  on  memorable  occasions 
extended  to  its  own  distinguished  citizens  and  to 
strangers.  Its  central  court  was  surrounded  by 
rooms,  in  one  of  which  vestals  guarded  by  day 
and  night  the  sacred  fire  that  must  never  be  ex- 
tinguished, for  in  the  eyes  of  the  people  it  was 
heaven-born,  and  was  part  of  the  same  fire  which 
at  the  founding  of  the  colony  had  been  brought 
from  some  other  city.  The  upper  gymnasium 
occupied  a  large  part  of  a  block  to  the  rear  of  these 
two  buildings.  And  a  little  farther  to  the  north 
one  of  the  best  preserved  of  all  the  Grecian  theatres, 
for  many  of  the  seats  and  a  large  part  of  the  pro- 
scenium are  still  intact,  is  calmly  reposing  against 
the  side  of  the  steeply  rising  mountain. 

The  Prienese  appear  to  have  been  particularly 
addicted  to  religious  ceremonies,  since  they  built 
within  their  walls  more  than  the  usual  number  of 
sanctuaries.    In  addition  to  the  temples  of  Cybele 


THE  VALLEY  OF  THE  iM^ANDER    177 

and  ^sculapiiis  on  the  principal  streets,  there  was 
one,  a  Httle  to  the  north-west  of  the  Sacred  Portico, 
that  Alexander  the  Great  dedicated  to  the  goddess 
Athena.  It  was  a  peripteral  temple  of  the  Ionic 
order,  but  without  a  frieze  in  the  entablature, 
and  was  built  by  the  same  architect  who  planned 
the  more  famous  mausoleum  of  Halicarnassus.  A 
part  of  its  architrave,  now  preserved  in  the  Royal 
Museum  of  Berlin,  shows  some  of  the  paint  with 
which  the  Greeks  were  in  the  habit  of  adorning 
their  public  buildings.  A  temple  of  Demeter  was 
erected  on  the  mountain  side  one  hundred  and 
fifty  yards  to  the  north  of  this  temple ;  and  another 
to  the  east  of  the  upper  gymnasium  was  dedicated 
to  the  Egyptian  god  and  goddess  Osiris  and  Isis, 
whose  rites  were  probably  introduced  during  the 
third  century  B.C.,  when  the  city  referred  to 
Ptolemy  its  differences  with  Samos.  Lesser  divini- 
ties or  heroes  were  also  worshipped.  Furthermore, 
the  Prienese,  in  conjunction  with  the  people  of 
other  Greek  cities,  built  on  the  summit  of  Mt. 
Mycale  the  sanctuary  of  Poseidon,  where  every 
year  was  held  a  Panionic  festival. 

A  narrow  way  descends  from  the  agora  to  the 
larger  gymnasium,  on  a  shelf  of  rock  a  little  below 
the  terrace.  Some  of  its  walls  still  show  the  names 
carved  by  boys  who  exercised  there  over  two 
thousand  years  ago,  and  who  raced  over  the  two 
hundred  yard  course  of  the  stadium  which  adjoins 
it  on  the  east.  More  interesting  still  are  the  ruins 
of  over  three  hundred  stone  houses  in  the  western 


178  ASIA  MINOR 

half  of  the  city,  for,  though  all  the  roofs  are  gone 
and  only  part  of  the  walls  are  standing,  sufficient 
remains  to  give  an  idea  of  the  homes  in  which  the 
Greeks  lived  about  the  third  and  fourth  centuries 
B.C.  Some  were  of  one  story  ;  some  were  two 
stories  high.  All  presented  to  the  street  a  wall 
unbroken  by  windows  on  the  lower  story,  as  was 
often  the  case  even  on  the  second  story.  In  some 
instances  a  door  opened  from  a  chamber  directly 
on  to  the  street ;  but  not  infrequently  the  entrance 
was  by  a  narrow  passage  leading  from  the  street 
to  the  uncovered  inner  court.  Here  again  variety 
in  construction  was  displayed  ;  a  few  of  the  larger 
and  more  recent  houses,  following  the  conventional 
style  of  homes  of  Greece  during  its  best  period, 
consisted  of  several  rooms  surrounding  a  court 
with  a  peristyle  ;  but  the  older  houses  were  of  a 
type  unknown  before  the  excavations  at  Priene,. 
as  the  rooms  were  placed  on  the  northern  side  of 
the  court  only,  and  were  separated  from  it  by  a 
vestibule,  before  which  a  colonnade  was  usually 
placed.  By  this  arrangement  the  vestibule  shaded 
the  rooms  in  the  heat  of  summer,  when  the  sun 
was  near  the  zenith ;  but  during  winter,  when  the 
sun  was  low,  it  did  not  prevent  the  rays  entering 
the  rooms  and  giving  them  warmth.  There  were 
also  houses  representing  a  transition  between  these 
two  types,  in  which  a  second  side  of  the  court  had 
a  colonnade  in  line  with  the  passage  from  the 
street. 

Many  of  the  houses  of  Priene  were  not  devoid 


IHK    INTKKIOK    OI'    A    (  A  K.W  ANS  A  k^' 


^^lE    KIINS    or    AN    AM   II.N 


I     (   IM;  Kill      \  1     IllKK  \|•tl|.l^ 


THE  VALLEY  OF  THE  MEANDER    179 

of  luxury.  Their  exterior  walls  were  of  marble  ; 
and  though  the  inner  walls  were  often  stucco,  they 
were  decorated  with  simple  paintings.  Carpets 
were  spread  on  the  floors  ;  and  objects  of  art,  such 
as  bowls  and  vases,  were  arranged  in  suitable  places. 
In  houses  two  stories  high  the  lower  floor  usually 
contained  a  large  room  with  the  family  altar,  a 
dining-room,  and  smaller  rooms  for  the  servants.; 
while  on  the  upper  floor  were  the  bedchambers  of 
the  family.  Yet  because  of  the  dehghtful  temper- 
ature of  the  climate,  the  people  lived  largely  in  the 
open  court,  where  they  were  hidden  from  the  in- 
quisitive gaze  of  strangers,  where  for  part  of  the 
year  they  probably  ate  their  meals,  and  where 
perhaps  during  the  w^arm  summer  nights  some  of 
them  slept. 

From  the  site  of  the  acropolis,  which  stood  near 
the  top  of  Mt.  Mycale  and  was  enclosed  by  walls 
connecting  it  with  the  city  a  thousand  feet  below, 
the  view  is  as  impressive  as  it  is  extensive.  To 
the  west,  the  ridge  terminates  in  a  bold  cape, 
separated  by  a  narrow  channel  from  the  Isle  of 
Samos  ;  below,  on  the  edge  of  the  broad  valley 
through  which  the  sinuous  Maeander  glides,  patches 
of  dark  rich  soil  planted  with  vegetables  alternate 
with  orchards,  and  long  lines  of  poplars  partly  con- 
ceal a  few  scattered  stone  houses.  Twelve  miles 
in  an  air  line  directly  to  the  south  the  walls  of  a 
gigantic  theatre  rise  among  the  ruins  of  Miletus, 
which  twenty-five  hundred  years  ago  sent  its  ships 
to  the  farthest  shores  of  the  Mediterranean  and 


i8o  ASIA  MINOR 

through  the  Propontis  to  the  Euxine  ;  while  a 
httle  more  to  the  east,  across  murky  waters  that 
creep  through  reeds  and  rushes,  Mt.  Latmus  lifts 
its  long  crest,  where  the  old  myths  said  the  beauti- 
ful Endymion  slept  till  the  moon  came  down  and 
kissed  his  cheek.  In  the  clear  atmosphere  of 
springtime  this  part  of  Asia  Minor  has  an  attraction 
entirely  apart  from  any  historic  association.  But 
nevertheless  its  greatest  charm  is  awakened  by 
its  ruins,  which,  however  fragmentary,  carry  the 
mind  back  to  the  golden  age  of  classic  time.  And 
where,  as  at  Priene,  they  are  not  surrounded  by 
modern  habitations,  their  antiquity  is  more  defi- 
nitely realized,  until  it  seems  to  be  an  appreciable 
part  of  the  great  eternity. 

Now  and  then  some  trifling  incident  would  call 
to  mind  the  insecurity  of  travel  beyond  the  main 
highways.  As  we  rode  back  to  Sokia,  another 
Greek,  quite  unlike  the  manly-looking  fellow  who 
accompanied  me,  joined  our  party.  He  did  not 
ride  particularly  well  :  the  ends  of  his  trousers 
had  an  unbecoming  way  of  climbing  nearly  to  his 
knees  ;  his  poorly-managed  horse  was  constantly 
interfering  with  our  horses.  Moreover,  he  never 
spoke  except  to  complain  of  the  rapid  pace  we  were 
travelling.  Nor  was  he  satisfied  when  our  guide 
explained  that  he  was  escorting  an  American — one 
of  a  race  always  in  a  hurry — and  that  the  happi- 
ness of  the  American  depended  on  his  meeting  the 
train  which  left  Sokia  but  once  a  da}^  Evidently 
the  stranger  was  very  uncomfortable  as  he  was 


THE  VALLEY  OF  THE  MEANDER    i8i 

bumped  in  his  saddle  ;  but,  when  it  was  suggested 
that  he  should  travel  more  leisurely  in  his  own  excel- 
lent company,  he  offered  the  excuse  that  it  would 
be  impossible,  since  his  horse  was  of  too  jealous  a 
disposition  to  be  left  in  the  rear.  And  so  he  accom- 
panied us  very  sadly  all  the  way  to  Sokia,  where 
he  was  going  from  his  little  farm  to  attend  to  some 
matter  of  business.  When  he  finally  left  us,  our 
guide  explained  that  he  had  joined  us  for  fear  of 
being  attacked  by  brigands,  and  that  in  doing  so 
uninvited  he  had  only  followed  one  of  the  customs 
of  the  country. 

From  Balachik,  the  main  line  of  the  railway  con- 
tinues eastward  through  the  valley  of  the  Mseander, 
which  is  longer  and  more  beautiful  than  the  valley 
of  the  Hermus.  It  has  fewer  vineyards,  but  has 
more  orchards  of  fig  trees,  which  were  celebrated 
throughout  the  world  even  in  the  days  of  Alex- 
ander. Many  of  these  orchards  are  separated  from 
one  another,  not  by  building  fences,  for  wood  is 
now  very  scarce  throughout  the  valley,  though 
once  its  surrounding  mountains  were  densely 
wooded,  but  by  digging  a  small  ditch  and  piling 
the  dirt  on  one  side  so  as  to  make  a  continuous 
wall.  In  a  few  places  wickerwork  is  placed  above 
the  walls  to  make  them  higher  ;  in  other  places, 
stones  or  refuse  gathered  from  the  fields  are  added 
to  them,  and  also  cuttings,  which  taking  root  be- 
come in  time  like  hedges.  Where  such  walls  are 
on  each  side  of  roads,  the  constant  tread  of  animals 
on  the  dry  earth  during  summer  pulverizes  it,  so 


i82  ASIA  MINOR 

that  the  dust  is  blown  away  ;  and  thus,  after  a 
long  time,  the  roads  become  lower  than  the  sur- 
rounding land,  and  occasionally  become  the  drains 
of  watercourses. 

Eastward  from  Magnesia  the  river  flows  along 
the  southern  side  of  the  valley,  where  much  of  the 
land  is  poorly  cultivated  ;  but  the  railway  passes 
several  miles  farther  to  the  north,  now  among  hills 
spangled  in  spring  with  marguerites  and  anemones, 
and  now  through  pleasant  scenes  of  husbandry. 
Here  are  fields  of  tobacco,  cotton,  and  corn,  or- 
chards succeeding  orchards,  little  hamlets  of  dull 
earth  surrounded  by  patches  of  vegetables  ;  and 
larger  tree-shaded  villages  with  open  spaces  stirred 
with  the  activities  of  placid-looking  men.  It  is  a 
constantly  changing  scene  of  rural  beauty  and  of 
life  still  enchanting  in  its  unspoiled  simplicity. 

A  mihtary  band  was  playing  as  our  train  entered 
the  station  of  Aidin,  the  capital  of  the  vilayet, 
about  twenty  miles  to  the  east  of  Balachik ;  and  a 
company  of  soldiers  was  drawn  up  in  line  to  receive 
the  governor,  a  large  fine-looking  Turk,  just  re- 
turning from  a  visit  to  the  Sultan,  and  apparently 
quite  indifferent  to  the  honour  paid  him.  A  few 
soldiers  not  on  duty  showed  the  terrible  ravages 
of  recent  suffering  and  disease.  Official  notices  in 
Turkish  and  French  were  posted  about  the  station, 
advising  the  people  to  wash  their  mouths  thoroughly 
before  eating  in  the  morning,  and  to  follow  other 
specifically  mentioned  precautions  in  order  to 
escape    cholera.      And    in    an    open   space    just 


THE  VALLEY  OF  THE  M/EANDER    183 

outside,  gaunt,  grim,  dust-covered  men  were  un- 
burdening kneeling  camels,  and  loading  them 
again  with  other  merchandise,  for  Aidin  is  the 
largest  mart  of  the  valley,  and  near  the  centre  of 
a  country  that  produces  the  best  cotton  in  Asia 
Minor  as  well  as  large  quantities  of  grapes,  figs, 
and  olives. 

The  city  received  its  name  of  Aidin  from  one  of 
the  early  Seljuk  princes,  who  made  it  the  capital 
of  an  independent  province  ;  and  there  his  de- 
scendants ruled  until  Isa  Bey,  the  builder  of  the 
large  mosque  at  Ayasoluk,  acknowledged  the 
supremacy  of  Bajazet.  It  was  also  called  Guzel- 
hissar,  the  Beautiful  Castle.  In  common  with  most 
Turkish  cities,  it  has  numerous  mosques  and  khans, 
as  well  as  an  unusually  seductive  bazaar,  whose 
booths  contain  not  only  native  products  but  a  sur- 
prisingly large  assortment  of  imported  articles. 
Some  of  the  booths  belong  to  Armenians,  some 
to  Greeks,  and  one  in  which  I  took  shelter  from  a 
severe  thunderstorm,  that  passed  over  the  city  and 
for  a  short  time  sent  down  almost  a  deluge,  was 
presided  over  by  an  aged  Jew,  who  offered  me 
hospitality  and  sundry  cups  of  coffee,  even  after 
he  had  learned  that  I  would  not  buy  any  of  his 
rugs  or  embroideries.  In  no  other  bazaar  of  Turkey 
have  I  seen  so  many  trains  of  camels  marching 
through  its  narrow  lanes  ;  it  is  indeed  the  very 
heart  of  the  business  life  of  the  city. 

From  the  bazaar  the  road  winds  up  a  steep  hill 
overlooking  a  ravine  and  past  a  cemetery  to  an 


i84  ASIA  MINOR 

elevated  plateau,  where  what  is  left  of  the  ancient 
Greek  city  of  Tralles  lies  beneath  an  orchard  of 
olive-trees  waiting  for  an  excavator.  Since  the 
earliest  times  it  has  suffered  again  and  again  from 
earthquakes  ;  in  more  recent  years  the  Turks  have 
turned  some  of  its  beautiful  marble  monuments 
into  lime-kilns,  and  have  used  others  in  the  con- 
struction of  modern  buildings.  Yet  there  are  still 
traces  of  Roman  baths,  a  stadium,  an  acropolis, 
and  also  the  theatre,  from  which  on  a  clear  day 
Strabo  saw  the  white  seats  of  the  theatre  of  Mag- 
nesia far  away  in  the  west. 

Some  of  the  villages  beyond  Aidin  have  pictur- 
esque little  homes,  with  plots  of  ground  cultivated 
as  gardens  and  orchards,  and  surrounded  by  reed 
fences  or  adobe  walls.  They  seem  to  be  the  homes 
of  people  who  delight  in  warm  sunshine  and  bright 
flowers,  as  well  as  in  the  mystery  of  the  eternally 
creeping,  moving  stream,  and  of  the  motionless, 
silent  mountains. 

At  the  station  of  one  of  these  villages  a  party  of 
about  one  hundred  men  and  women  entered  the 
train.  Some  of  them  were  girls  who  were  full  of 
life  and  were  young  and  pretty,  as  appeared  when 
in  unguarded  moments,  or  when  yielding  to  a 
natural  impulse,  they  left  their  dark  hair,  their 
lustrous  eyes  and  their  red  lips  uncovered  by  their 
veils.  When  I  noticed  that  most  of  the  women 
and  girls  were  huddled  in  a  single  car  by  an  ugly 
old  negro,  I  concluded  with  some  interest  that  they 
belonged  to  the  harem  of  some  country  grandee. 


THE  VALLEY  OF  THE  MEANDER    185 

and  began  to  wonder  if  they  brought  him  as  much 
solace  as  care.  But  at  another  station  they  left 
the  train  ;  and  as  the  men  began  to  pitch  the  tents, 
to  which  the  boys  carried  pitchers  of  water  and 
armfuls  of  bread,  I  learned  they  were  only  one  of 
the  many  parties  who,  in  compliance  with  the  law, 
had  gone  out  to  kill  locusts.  All  of  them  seemed 
as  light-hearted  as  if  they  were  about  to  enjoy  a 
picnic ;  and,  judging  by  a  few  coy  glances,  I  fear 
their  efforts  were  as  futile  as  those  of  the  much 
larger  party  I  had  seen  at  Smyrna. 

In  this  part  of  the  valley  the  river  winds  slug- 
gishly through  low,  uncultivated  ground,  here 
approaching  the  railway,  there  receding  from  it. 
In  the  fields  we  saw  bullocks  drawing  large  two- 
wheeled  carts  with  sides  made  of  wickerwork.  At 
Nazli,  where  another  liquorice  factory  has  been 
established,  men  were  carrying  bunches  of  aspara- 
gus they  had  gathered  among  the  hills.  Many  of 
the  women  we  passed  by  the  wayside  were  dressed 
in  scarlet,  and  walked  as  erect  as  if  carrying  earthen 
vessels  on  their  heads.  They  rarely  permitted  us 
to  see  their  faces  ;  but  at  one  of  the  stations,  on 
the  other  hand,  a  young  girl,  one  of  the  many 
Yuruks  who  spend  part  of  the  year  encamped 
along  the  banks  of  the  Maeander,  rushed  forward 
with  uncovered  head  to  beg,  and  eagerly  accepted 
from  a  fellow  traveller  the  equivalent  of  half  a 
shilling  for  a  very  pretty  coral  necklace  of  native 
workmanship  that  she  was  wearing  round  her 
neck. 


i86  ASIA  MINOR 

As  the  road  continues  to  the  east  it  traverses  a 
land  rich  in  historic  interest.  On  the  southern  side 
of  the  valley,  Antiochia,  one  of  the  sixteen  cities  of 
Asia  named  after  Antiochus  of  Macedonia,  lies 
buried  at  the  base  of  a  lofty  range  that  in  winter 
and  spring  is  covered  with  snow.  A  short  distance 
beyond  it,  near  the  upper  end  of  the  valley,  the 
railway  crosses  the  principal  stream  of  the  Maeander, 
which  is  here  about  twenty-five  yards  wide,  and, 
following  a  branch  known  as  the  Lycus  for  about 
thirty  miles  farther  to  the  south-east,  reaches  the 
little  village  of  Gonjeli,  a  convenient  abiding  place 
for  the  traveller  who  wishes  to  visit  the  ruins  of 
Colossae,  Laodicea,  and  Hierapolis.  And  a  little 
farther  to  the  south,  the  pine-covered  Baba  Dagh, 
which  rises  over  seven  thousand  feet,  separates 
these  ancient  cities  from  the  site  of  the  Carian 
Aphrodisias,  where  beneath  bushes  and  trees  and 
the  wash  of  centuries  are  some  of  the  most  exten- 
sive unexcavated  ruins  of  Asia  Minor. 

In  the  days  of  Herodotus,  Colossae  was  a  most 
important  city  of  Phrygia.  Xerxes  passed  through 
it  and  over  the  low  short  divide  that  separates  the 
valley  of  the  Maeander  from  the  south-eastern  bend 
in  the  valley  of  the  Hermus,  when  he  was  marching 
to  Sardis  ;  and  Cyrus  the  Younger  also  led  his 
soldiers  through  it  as  he  travelled  eastward  by  the 
Phrygian  lakes  to  dethrone  his  brother.  Here  was 
founded  one  of  the  earliest  Christian  churches,  to 
which  the  apostle  Paul  addressed  an  epistle.  But 
now  only  a  few  fragments  remain  to  show  where 


THE  VALLEY  OF  THE  MEANDER     187 

once  stood  the  acropolis,  the  theatre,  and  a  few 
other  pubhc  buildings. 

A  Greek  showed  me  the  way  from  the  station  of 
Gonjeli — where  I  remained  at  a  small  hotel  that 
seemed  amazingly  clean  when  compared  with  most 
of  those  in  the  interior  of  the  country — to  the  Turk- 
ish village  of  Gonjeli,  a  few  minutes'  walk  to  the 
south  ;  and  thence  to  the  ancient  Laodicea,  among 
the  hills  behind  it.  We  passed  men  with  black 
bullocks  and  other  men  with  laden  camels,  chmb- 
ing  the  same  road  to  pass  heedlessly  between 
marble  monuments  of  sacred  associations,  and  to 
descend  again  to  the  little  village  of  Eski-hissar 
on  the  other  side.  Near  the  smaller  theatre  of 
Laodicea,  two  shepherds  were  pasturing  sheep  of 
a  breed  of  big  tails  and  black  faces,  which  were 
guarded  effectually  by  huge,  hungry-looking  dogs. 
These  men  were  doubtless  as  unconscious  as  their 
dumb  beasts  of  the  sacred  earth  on  which  they 
trod.  Parts  of  the  hills  were  covered  with  cropped, 
bunchy  grass  ;  parts  were  ploughed  and  sown  with 
grain  ;  all  was  strewn  with  bits  of  chiselled  stone, 
presenting  a  scene  of  utter  desolation.  Yet  traces 
of  grandeur  linger  in  the  forsaken  ruins.  In  the 
evening  of  this  day  of  our  first  visit  they  were 
serenely  imposing  as  the  setting  sun  drove  their 
lengthening  shadows  over  the  broken  ground,  and 
touched  their  tops  and  the  encircling  mountains 
with  tints  of  golden  red.  I  watched  them  until 
their  colour  turned  again  to  grey,  then  climbed 
among  the  highest  seats  of  the  smaller  theatre, 


i88  ASIA  MINOR 

whence  I  could  see,  over  the  roofs  of  the  low  houses 
of  Gonjeli,  the  fires  of  Yuruks  glowing  in  the  valley 
of  the  Lycus,  and  beyond  it  the  crystal  cascades 
of  Hierapolis  reflecting  the  fading  light. 

On  the  site  of  an  earlier  city  called  Diospolis,  the 
City  of  God,  Antiochus  II,  who  ruled  from  261  to 
246  B.C.,  founded  Laodicea,  and  named  it  after  the 
wife  by  whom  he  was  afterwards  murdered.  No 
remains  of  the  earlier  city  are  visible,  though  it  is 
not  improbable  that  excavations  such  as  have  been 
made  at  Pergamus  and  Priene  would  reveal  them  ; 
but  parts  of  a  large  number  of  the  public  buildings 
of  the  later  city  are  still  standing.  The  ancient 
walls,  pierced  by  three  large  gateways  on  the 
eastern  side  and  one  on  the  western,  described  an 
oval  with  the  major  axis  extending  north  and 
south.  The  acropolis  was  at  the  northern  and 
more  pointed  end,  overlooking  the  valley  of  the 
Lycus  ;  the  smaller  theatre,  which  still  retains 
many  of  the  old  seats,  though  the  proscenium  has 
been  entirely  removed,  was  a  short  distance  from 
it  ;  and  the  larger  and  much  better  preserved 
theatre  was  farther  to  the  east.  The  most  impor- 
tant structure  on  the  western  side  was  the  stadium, 
which  had  a  length  of  three  hundred  yards  and  is 
still  in  an  excellent  state  of  preservation.  Temples, 
palaces,  an  odeum  and  a  large  Roman  gymnasium 
once  stood  within  the  walled  area,  as  well  as  shops 
and  the  principal  homes  of  the  people.  The  necro- 
polis was  on  another  hill  to  the  north-west,  which  is 
separated  from  the  city  by  a  ravine  ;  and  here  and 


THE  VALLEY  OF  THE  M.EANDER     189 

there  are  fragments  of  a  stone  aqueduct  and  an 
inverted  siphon,  which  were  built  to  bring  water 
to  the  city  from  the  mountains  to  the  south,  be- 
cause during  summer  the  brooks  passing  by  the 
eastern  and  western  walls  run  dry. 

Why  was  it,  we  cannot  but  wonder  as  we  pass 
among  such  ruins,  so  many  of  the  ancient  cities  of 
Asia  Minor  were  utterly  depopulated  ?  It  is  true 
Laodicea  was  more  than  once  almost  destroyed  by 
earthquakes  ;  but,  on  account  of  the  wealth  of  the 
people  and  the  importance  of  its  position  on  a 
great  highway  to  the  east,  it  was  as  often  rebuilt, 
and  for  some  fifteen  centuries  was  one  of  the  most 
flourishing  cities  of  Asia  Minor.  Now  it  is  without 
a  single  habitation. 

Twice  I  visited  the  village  of  Gonjeh.  It  con- 
sists of  a  single  street,  faced  with  low  adobe  houses, 
a  few  gardens  of  vegetables  and  fruit  trees,  a 
scanty  population,  and  a  fair  number  of  storks, 
which  from  elevated  positions  keep  their  eyes  on 
every  movement.  Most  of  the  women  appeared 
exceedingly  shy,  peering  out  of  the  partially  closed 
doors  of  their  homes  like  rats  out  of  their  holes 
when  receiving  the  attentions  of  a  cat.  Whenever 
I  turned  towards  them  they  at  once  disappeared, 
or  m.ore  completely  drew  the  veils  across  their  faces 
to  escape  the  dread  effect  of  the  evil  eye,  though 
the  tenderness  of  a  mother  for  her  child  was  in- 
variably displayed  by  hiding  its  face  before  cover- 
ing her  own .  Even  the  foot-race  that  I  arranged 
among  the  small  boys  for  the  prize  of  a  few  coppers, 


190  ASIA  MINOR 

and  resulted  in  a  tie  between  a  tall  lean  fellow  and 
a  little  fat  fellow,  failed  to  attract  many  of  them 
far  from  shelter.  I  discovered,  however,  that  by 
appealing  to  the  humorous  side  of  the  Turkish 
character,  I  was  permitted  to  see  more  of  the  native 
life  than  otherwise  would  have  been  possible,  while 
at  the  same  time  I  established  friendly  relations 
that  may  have  spared  me  inconveniences. 

A  stone  about  two  feet  high  and  equally  long  and 
broad  stands  in  the  centre  of  the  street  near  the 
heart  of  the  village.  The  carving  at  its  upper  edge 
awakens  the  suspicion  that  it  has  come  from  the 
ruins  of  Laodicea  ;  but  it  is  now  valued  more  for 
its  utilitarian  than  its  artistic  qualities.  The 
upper  surface  is  hollowed  hke  a  bowl  sixteen  inches 
in  diameter  and  twelve  inches  deep,  which  at  the 
time  of  one  of  my  visits  contained  wheat  that  two 
men  were  alternately  pounding  with  mallets  made 
with  double  heads  six  inches  in  diameter  and  thirty 
inches  apart.  As  the  movements  of  the  mallets 
created  sufficient  currents  of  air  to  blow  away  the 
chaff,  the  wheat  was  quickly  reduced  to  flour  ; 
yet  some  particles  of  chaff  invariably  remained 
and  gave  it  a  darker  colour  than  the  flour  ground 
in  Europe.  My  request  for  permission  to  try  my 
skill  at  threshing  the  wheat  was  at  once  granted. 
A  crowd  of  men  and  boys  who  gathered  to  see  the 
sport  were  soon  in  good  spirits  over  my  intentional 
clumsiness.  Turkish  women  peeped  out  of  the 
doors  of  their  houses.  One,  more  venturesome 
than  the  rest,  with  the  graceful  form  of  youth  and 


THE  VALLEY  OF  THE  MiEANDER    191 

whose  handsome  face  was  partly  uncovered,  ap- 
proached to  see  the  fun ;  and,  after  I  had  laid  down 
the  mallet,  so  far  forgot  herself  as  to  show  she  was 
no  novice  in  the  use  of  it.  Beneath  her  yashmak 
flashed  the  untamed  look  of  barbarian  eyes  ;  and 
on  her  arm  she  wore  a  bracelet  of  native  workman- 
ship, which  she  removed  that  I  might  examine  it, 
after  exchanging  a  few  words  with  a  tall  Turk  who 
was  doubtless  her  husband.  But  when  I  displayed 
my  camera  and  some  coins  to  signify  I  would  like 
to  take  her  picture,  she  fled  as  from  the  devil.  Evi- 
dently some  of  the  old  women  had  been  watching 
and  concluded  there  was  evil  in  my  camera  if  not 
in  my  eye,  for  a  chatter  that  reached  a  clamour 
arose  from  behind  every  door  and  window,  and  the 
small  children  fled  in  confusion.  The  tall  Turk 
advanced  to  meet  me,  and,  though  smiling,  indi- 
cated by  signs  that  it  would  be  safer  for  me  to 
depart. 

Early  one  morning  I  left  Gonjeli  on  horseback, 
accompanied  by  a  Turk  who  was  to  show  me  the 
wa}^  to  Hierapolis,  six  miles  to  the  north.  He  was 
a  tall  fellow,  in  whose  face  was  only  the  slightest 
expression  of  intelligence,  but  whose  movements 
told  of  boundless  strength  and  activity.  His  head 
was  encompassed  with  the  folds  of  a  bright  turban  ; 
and  more  than  a  foot  of  his  waist  and  chest  was 
swaddled  with  a  dark  red  sash  in  which  was  thrust 
a  knife.  Loose  trousers,  which  were  voluminous 
about  the  loins,  descended  barely  below  his  knees  ; 
coarse,  hand-knit  woollen  stockings  covered  the 


192  ASIA  MINOR 

lower  part  of  his  legs,  and  sandals  protected  the 
soles  of  his  feet.  These  simple  and  unbecoming 
garments  are  such  as  are  worn  by  some  of  the 
peasants  ;  while  others,  more  fastidious,  wear 
stockings  embroidered  with  bright  flowers,  or  dark 
blue  leggings  of  cloth  adorned  with  black  braid. 

On  the  southern  side  of  the  valley  we  traversed 
fields  that  were  irrigated,  but  lacked  the  careful 
cultivation  characteristic  of  Europe.  Near  its 
centre  we  crossed  low  damp  land  which  contains 
much  alkali  and  was  almost  neglected  except  by 
some  Yuruks,  who  had  pitched  their  black  tents 
and  built  small  huts  of  reeds  near  the  bank  of  the 
Lycus.  And  at  the  northern  side,  not  far  from 
Hierapolis,  we  passed  the  few  houses  of  the  Turkish 
hamlet  of  Edscheli,  surrounded  by  a  solitary  olive 
grove,  which  appears  like  an  oasis  in  a  stretch  of 
almost  treeless  country.  The  way  led  up  a  hill 
covered  with  wild  flowers,  in  sight  of  a  girl  who 
was  guarding  a  flock  of  goats  in  front  of  a  hut  of 
dried  earth,  near  a  gorge  crossed  by  a  natural 
bridge  of  hme  rock,  and  along  a  rocky  path  that 
some  half-clad  men  were  descending  with  loaded 
donkeys.  It  took  us  to  the  eastern  end  of  the  city, 
where  water  was  issuing  from  a  fountain  and 
trickling  into  a  stone  trough  below.  But  even 
these  few  sights  of  living  things  and  the  sounds  of 
crunching  feet  and  falling  waters  only  accentuated 
the  terrible  desolation  of  a  city  mostly  buried  be- 
neath a  pall,  which  the  same  springs  that  gave  it 
birth  at  length  spread  over  it. 


THE  VALLEY  OF  THE  M^EANDER    193 

On  some  of  the  coins  of  Hierapolis,  the  Holy 
City,  is  represented  the  goddess  Cybele  ;  on  others, 
Pluto  carrying  Proserpine  to  Hades.  Strabo  stated 
its  waters  were  used  for  dyeing  ;  and  the  apostle 
Paul  referred  to  it  in  his  Epistle  to  the  Colossians. 
In  the  time  of  Nero  it  was  nearly  destroyed  by  an 
earthquake,  and,  though  rebuilt,  was  probably 
abandoned  long  before  Frederic  Barbarossa  battled 
with  the  Byzantines  on  the  plain  below.  More 
than  this,  almost  nothing  of  its  early  history  is 
known  ;  yet  when  it  is  considered  that  it  occu- 
pied a  favourable  site  on  a  terrace  overlooking  the 
valley,  that  it  was  on  one  of  the  great  highways 
connecting  eastern  Asia  with  the  valleys  of  the 
Hermus  and  the  Mseander  on  the  west,  that  it 
contained  a  pool  of  constantly  replenished  warm 
water  reputed  to  contain  important  medicinal 
properties,  as  well  as  a  Plutonium  which  would 
appeal  to  the  religious  superstition  of  pagan  people, 
there  can  be  little  doubt  a  place  so  favourably 
situated  and  with  such  attractions  must  have 
been  one  of  the  very  first  to  tempt  a  settlement  of 
men.  If  it  were  possible  to  remove  the  incrusta- 
tions that  cover  the  terrace  for  a  depth  of  a  dozen 
or  more  feet,  it  is  not  unlikely  there  would  be  dis- 
covered foundations  of  a  city  of  a  far  more  vener- 
able age  than  what  is  represented  by  the  few 
Roman  buildings. 

On  the  edge  of  the  terrace,  which  is  over  five 
hundred  feet  above  the  valley,  the  constant  pre- 
cipitation of  the  lime  and  alum  contained  in  the 


194  ASIA  MINOR 

warm  spring  has  formed  a  long  wall  of  snow-white 
incrustations.  From  a  distance  it  appears  like  an 
enormous  cataract  turning  to  foam  ;  and  this  de- 
ception seems  the  more  real  as  the  glittering  de- 
posits conform  to  every  bend  and  hollow  over 
which  the  water  pours.  Not  unlikely  the  Greeks 
and  Romans  changed  the  course  of  the  spring  and 
confined  it  to  definite  channels  ;  but  now  it  is 
spreading  over  a  large  part  of  the  terrace,  burying 
ancient  foundations  and  forming  for  itself  circular 
basins  of  crystal,  as  well  as  narrow  channels  edged 
with  ferns,  through  which  it  glides  to  seek  a  lower 
level  ;  and  finally  it  leaps  over  the  edge  of  the 
terrace,  or  dashes  into  the  gorge  near  the  ruins  of 
the  Roman  baths. 

The  city  occupied  the  full  breadth  of  the  terrace, 
which  is  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  and  extended 
along  it  for  more  than  a  mile.  Its  principal  en- 
trance was  at  the  southern  end,  where  the  road 
from  the  valley  passed  through  a  gate  in  the  en- 
circling wall,  and  becoming  a  paved  avenue  fully 
fifty  feet  wide  continued  thence  parallel  to  the  face 
of  the  terrace  to  the  northern  gate.  Some  of  the 
most  important  public  buildings  faced  this  avenue. 
A  rectangular  space  that  adjoins  it,  not  far  from 
the  southern  gate,  was  probably  a  market  place 
or  agora.  The  pool  is  about  a  hundred  rods  beyond 
the  southern  gate,  and  is  midway  between  the 
theatre,  which  is  at  a  slightly  higher  elevation  to 
the  east,  and  the  Roman  baths,  which  are  almost 
on  the  edge  of  the  terrace.    Massive  walls  near  the 


THE  VALLEY  OF  THE  MEANDER    1Q5 

northern  gate  are  the  remains  of  a  churcli,  the  one 
perhaps  that  was  dedicated  to  the  apostle  PhiUp, 
who,  according  to  tradition,  preached  the  gospel 
and  died  here.  Once,  no  doubt,  the  city  extended 
over  a  still  larger  area,  since  parts  of  a  theatre  and 
a  basilica  lie  beyond  the  northern  gate.  Many  of 
the  ruins  are  extensive  and  have  an  aspect  of 
grandeur  ;  yet  about  them  dwells  a  spirit  of  ir- 
redeemable decay,  which  is  increased  by  the 
presence  of  the  innumerable  tombs  of  necropolises 
that  cover  the  hills  above  the  terrace. 

In  the  days  of  the  city's  greatness  the  baths 
were  undoubtedly  the  most  extensive  and  mag- 
nificent in  Asia  Minor.  Probably  they  were  not 
dissimilar  to  the  more  famous  Thermae  of  Caracalla 
and  Diocletian,  as  their  ruins  still  cover  a  large 
space  occupied  by  courts,  halls,  and  archways, 
which  were  constructed  of  blocks  of  stone  weigh- 
ing one  and  two  tons,  and  originally  were  faced 
with  marble.  The  church  near  the  northern  gate 
is  similarly  constructed  of  huge  rectangular  blocks 
of  stone,  which  in  places  have  been  displaced  by 
earthquakes  so  as  to  show  large  irregular  cracks. 
Parts  of  the  walls  have  fallen  ;  the  roof  has  entirely 
disappeared  ;  but  what  remains  is  a  silent  witness 
of  the  importance  of  the  early  Christian  sect  in 
Hierapolis.  While  the  church  at  Sardis  is  exceed- 
ingly simple,  small,  and  crudely  made,  this  church 
is  imposing  in  its  much  larger  size  and  in  the  monu- 
mental character  of  its  architecture. 

Few  other  theatres  of  classic  time  are  in  a  more 


196  ASIA  MINOR 

complete  state  of  preservation  than  the  one  at 
Hierapohs.  It  is  true  that  it  has  been  sadly  racked 
and  rent,  and  the  orchestra  is  filled  with  the  debris  of 
broken  marble,  and  of  soil  washed  from  the  moun- 
tain ;  but  most  of  the  seats  are  still  intact,  and 
part  of  the  proscenium,  as  well  as  the  massive 
wings  with  their  large  domed  entrances  at  each 
corner,  are  still  in  place.  Though  the  architects 
of  the  early  theatres  built  them  where  the  slope  of 
a  hill  would  furnish  a  convenient  support  for  the 
tiers  of  seats,  it  is  also  probable  they  intentionally 
placed  them  where  they  would  command  extensive 
and  beautiful  views.  As  this  theatre  faces  the 
terrace,  it  overlooked  the  temples,  the  homes,  and 
whatever  might  quicken  the  pulse  of  the  people. 
From  the  upper  seats  they  could  gaze  over  the 
whole  valley  of  the  Lycus,  where  they  sowed  and 
gathered  their  harvests ;  they  could  catch  a 
glimpse  of  one  of  the  theatres  and  the  acropolis  of 
the  rival  city  of  Laodicea  to  the  south,  with  the 
snow-covered  peak  of  lofty  Baba  Dagh  towering 
behind  it ;  and  directly  to  the  west  they  could  see 
where  the  Lycus  joined  the  Maeander  and  flowed, 
a  silver  stream,  through  fields  of  green  in  spring, 
and  of  golden  brown  in  the  long,  hot  days  of 
summer. 

After  reaching  the  heart  of  the  city,  I  motioned 
to  the  Turk  that  he  might  rest  while  I  wandered 
alone.  He  went  to  an  open  court  of  the  baths,  and 
there,  stretching  himself  at  full  length  on  the 
ground,  was  soon  fast  asleep.    I  entered  the  theatre 


THE  VALLEY  OF  THE  MEANDER    iq; 

by  the  half-closed  vomitory  in  the  wing,  and  sat 
on  one  of  the  best  seats  in  utter  silence.  And  yet 
I  seemed  almost  conscious  of  suppressed  voices  like 
the  drowsy  hum  of  insects  hovering  in  the  white 
sunshine  over  flowers — voices,  as  it  were,  that  had 
echoed  and  re-echoed  through  the  ages.  And  as  I 
looked  on  a  heap  of  stone  blocks  covering  the  place 
where  masked  actors  had  stood,  and  at  a  lily  grow- 
ing where  light  feet  had  danced,  the  spell  of  the 
place  crept  over  me  until  it  almost  seemed  time 
might  turn  back,  and  from  the  tombs  of  the  ne- 
cropolis on  the  hill  above  a  departed  race  might 
come  to  life  and  enact  again  a  drama  on  the  pro- 
scenium below. 

The  pool,  which  is  almost  midway  between  the 
theatre  and  the  baths,  is  about  forty  feet  in  dia- 
meter and  several  feet  deep.  The  water  remains 
throughout  the  year  at  a  temperature  of  about  90° 
Fahrenheit,  and  is  so  clear  that  the  bottom  is  dis- 
tinctly seen.  I  was  about  to  swim  in  it,  when  I 
noticed  on  the  bank  a  fragment  of  a  garment  sug- 
gesting that  perhaps  undesirable  bathers  often 
went  there  ;  so  undressing  but  partly,  I  walked 
about  on  fluted  columns  and  delicately  carved  slabs 
of  marble  which  lay  beneath  the  surface  where 
they  had  fallen  centuries  before.  Though  warm, 
the  water  was  exceedingly  refreshing,  so  that  I 
reluctantly  left  it.  For  some  time  I  sat  on  the 
bank  by  the  side  of  wild  oleanders  and  among 
dandelions  and  maidenhair,  watching  the  bubbles 
that  rose  from  the  bottom  and  the  reflection  from 


iqS  ASIA  MINOR 

the  surface  of  exquisite  shades  of  green  and  blue, 
gazing  at  the  fir-covered  mountains  to  the  north, 
counting  the  Yuruk  camels  that  wandered  by, 
listening  to  the  faint  tinkling  of  their  bells  and  the 
occasional  bleating  of  big-tail  sheep,  and  perhaps 
dreaming,  just  as  the  natives  dream  in  that  far-off 
land.  It  was  one  of  the  most  delightful  spots  I 
found  in  all  the  Levant  ;  so  that  often,  as  I  wan- 
dered farther  through  Asia  Minor  and  down  into 
hot  and  sandy  Persia,  I  thought  of  that  limpid, 
sparkling  pool. 

On  one  of  the  high  arches  of  the  baths,  where 
some  seeds  had  taken  root  between  the  rocks  and, 
germinating,  had  developed  leaves  and  flowers,  I 
ate  my  lunch.  Almost  beneath  me,  a  little  rivulet 
from  the  pool  flowed  in  an  aqueduct  of  its  own 
making,  by  deposition  of  the  minerals  held  in 
solution,  and  at  the  edge  of  the  terrace  fell  into 
circular  basins,  beautiful  as  alabaster.  They  ranged 
tier  above  tier,  and  from  their  lips  dazzHng  stal- 
actites hung  like  jewels ;  while,  farther  along  the 
terrace,  fields  of  the  deposited  minerals  looked  like 
sheets  of  ice. 

The  part  of  the  terrace  near  the  hill  is  shghtly 
more  elevated  and  covered  with  grass.  As  I  saun- 
tered along  it,  nomads  were  lying  in  the  shade  of  a 
temple  watching  their  sheep  ;  and  about  a  quarter 
of  a  mile  from  the  theatre  I  passed  a  woman 
leading  a  very  light-coloured  camel  followed  by  a 
white  baby  camel.  She  had  evidently  come  from 
some  black  tents  standing  beneath  the  ruins  of  the 


THE  VALLEY  OF  THE  MEANDER    199 

church  near  the  northern  gate.  For  a  moment  I 
paused  in  front  of  them,  struck  by  the  incongruity 
of  these  mean  abodes  beside  the  massive  structure 
of  a  classic  age,  when  unexpectedly  a  huge  shaggy- 
haired  dog,  which  was  no  exception  to  the  rule 
that  the  dogs  of  the  nomads  are  almost  as  savage 
as  wolves,  sprang  towards  me.  Repeatedly  I  had 
been  warned  not  to  kill  one  of  these  dogs  if  I  valued 
my  life.  Fortunately  a  girl  quickly  followed  and 
shouted  to  him.  He  dropped  as  if  shot.  Then  she 
put  her  foot  on  his  throat,  crushing  him  to  the 
ground,  and  stood  erect  like  the  statue  of  a  fearless 
barbarian  Amazon,  smiling  grimly. 

As  I  returned  to  the  other  end  of  the  terrace, 
leisurely  examining  the  crumbhng  remains  of 
former  grandeur,  I  passed  from  behind  some 
monuments  into  view  of  the  pool,  and  quite  in- 
nocently disturbed  the  pleasure  of  three  young 
Yuruk  women  who  had  been  enjoying  a  swim  in 
its  clear  waters.  They  were  revelling  in  its  warmth, 
splashing  it  over  their  bare  bodies,  wading  as  I 
had  waded  on  the  sides  of  the  sunken  columns,  and 
leaning  against  the  bank  among  the  bunches  of 
maidenhair  and  the  wild  oleanders.  Their  aston- 
ishment at  seeing  me  was  as  great  as  mine  at  see- 
ing them;  their  pleasant  chattering  changed  to 
screams  as  they  scampered  out  and  seized  their 
clothes.  Turning,  I  walked  past  the  grim  walls  of 
the  old  theatre,  which  has  witnessed  far  stranger 
sights  in  the  course  of  sixty  generations  of  men. 
Not  far  away  the  nomad  dogs  were  fiercely  barking. 


-^., 


200  ASIA  MINOR 

Cumulus  clouds  began  to  gather  over  Baba 
Dagh  ;  to  the  west  the  slanting  rays  of  the  sun 
seemed  to  quiver  in  a  haze  of  impalpable  dust  ; 
and  down  below  men  were  leading  their  camels 
to  the  black  tents  by  the  bank  of  the  Lycus.  I 
called  to  the  Turk,  who  was  still  dreaming  beneath 
the  walls  of  the  Roman  baths.  He  rose  reluc- 
tantly ;  then  together  we  went  down  the  narrow 
path  leading  to  Gonjeli. 


CHAPTER  IX 

FROM     ALA-SHEHR     TO     KONIA  :       OUSHAK,     AFIUM 
KARA-HISSAR,    SILLEH 

yA  T  Ala-shehr  the  railway  from  Smyrna 
/%  to  Afium  Kara-hissar  crosses  to  the 
/  %  northern  side  of  the  valley  of  the 
Hermus,  and  climbs  the  foothills  of  the 
irregular  chain  of  mountains  bounding  the  central 
basin  of  Asia  Minor  on  the  west.  In  a  distance  of 
sixty  miles  it  ascends  from  an  altitude  of  six 
hundred  and  thirty  feet  at  Ala-shehr  to  three 
thousand  one  hundred  and  sixty  feet  at  Oushak. 
As  it  mounts  higher,  it  winds  now  along  the  sides 
of  projecting  ridges  overlooking  the  blue  valley 
it  is  leaving,  now  into  wooded  ravines  that  restrict 
the  view.  It  passes  among  limestone  hills  covered 
with  oaks  from  which  valonia  is  obtained,  and 
enters  deep  cuts  in  strata  of  schists  seamed  with 
glassy  quartz.  At  length,  when  it  reaches  the  up- 
lands, it  traverses  reddish  soil,  half  ploughed  with 
crooked  sticks  and  sown  with  grain,  as  well  as 
other  land  utterly  unfit  for  cultivation.  Indeed, 
the  vilayet  of  Smyrna  consists  largely  of  compara- 
tively unproductive  ranges  separated  by  valleys 
that  are  very  fertile,  except  where  covered  with 


202  ASIA  MINOR 

alluvial  gravel  or  an  alkaline  soil.  This  difference 
in  the  character  of  the  land  is  denoted  by  the  habi- 
tations :  in  the  valleys,  the  houses  of  the  peasants 
are  mostly  of  adobe  with  slanting  tile  roofs  ;  but 
on  the  mountains  they  have  rough  walls  of  broken 
rock  gathered  from  exposed  ledges,  and  bare  flat 
roofs  of  earth  in  which  grass  and  weeds  take  root. 
Many  of  these  primitive  dwellings  belong  to 
Yuruks,  who  are  comparatively  rich  in  flocks  of 
sheep  and  bands  of  camels. 

When  I  passed  over  the  road  in  the  middle  of 
spring  the  grass  was  short,  for  the  rainfall  is  but 
slight  in  these  higher  lands.  In  places  the  ground 
was  black  with  young  locusts  ;  in  other  places 
appeared  flocks  of  large  and  half-tame  quail.  At 
one  of  the  stations  I  noticed  a  woman  tie  a  baby 
to  the  back  of  a  little  girl  only  eight  or  ten  years 
old,  who  cheerfully  placed  her  left  hand  behind 
her  back  to  support  it,  and  with  her  right  hand 
picked  up  a  clay  vessel  sixteen  or  eighteen  inches 
high  and  marched  away.  Even  at  this  early  age 
the  girls  become  beasts  of  burden.  At  another 
station  men  with  large  glass  bottles  were  selling 
lemonade  ;  and  boys  with  earthen  pitchers  were 
offering  sweet  milk,  as  well  as  thick  creamy 
yahourt,  which  is  made  of  curdled  milk,  and  is 
one  of  the  most  popular  dishes  of  the  country. 
A  man  approached  the  train  with  a  stick  thrust 
through  the  hollow  centres  of  a  couple  of  dozen 
simites,  circular  pieces  of  bread  an  inch  thick  and 
six  inches  in  diameter,  light  and  crisp,  and  spiced 


A    SIKKKI'    IN     KONIA.        Illl';     AZI/ll-.ll     M(  ).S(  >|- K    ON     IIIE    I.KKT 


FROM  ALA-SHEHR  TO   KONIA       203 

with  seed  ;  he  exchanged  them  for  small  coins, 
which  he  dropped  into  a  purse  that  he  drew  from 
the  numerous  folds  of  a  large  sash  encircling  his 
waist.  Physically  he  was  a  fine  specimen  of  man- 
hood, worthy  of  a  better  occupation.  In  other 
parts  of  the  country  boys  hawk  loaves  of  bread 
resting  in  circular  depressions  chiselled  in  a  row 
on  one  side  of  a  long  thick  board,  which  they  carry 
on  their  shoulders. 

All  the  stations  are  provided  with  stone-cased 
wells,  though  it  is  prudent  to  boil  the  water  before 
drinking.  Whenever  the  train  stops,  doors  fiy 
open,  and  Turks  hurry  forth  to  fill  their  earthen 
vessels.  Other  Turks,  in  obedience  to  the  instruc- 
tions of  the  Prophet,  more  calmly  wash  their  hands 
and  feet  before  offering  their  prayers  to  Allah. 
For  a  moment  they  face  Mecca  with  upturned 
hands  as  if  with  the  spirit  of  complete  resigna- 
tion ;  they  then  kneel  on  the  ground  and  pour 
forth  their  praise  and  supplication  as  they  bend 
their  foreheads  for  a  number  of  times  and  touch 
the  earth  with  the  appearance  of  utmost  humility. 
Their  minds  appear  absorbed  in  complete  abstrac- 
tion ;  nor  do  they  seem  to  heed  the  whistle  of  the 
train,  though  at  the  last  moment  they  jump  up 
hastily  as  with  sudden  recollection,  and  grabbing 
their  shoes  dash  tumultuously  for  it. 

The  absence  of  scenery  of  startling  interest  when 
climbing  the  mountains  left  abundant  opportunity 
for  observing  our  fellow  passengers.  Almost  all 
were  Turks.     Some  looked  like  Bashi-Bazouks  ; 


204  ASIA  MINOR 

others  were  regular  soldiers  on  their  way  to  the 
interior.  One  in  the  adjoining  car  spent  hour  after 
hour  playing  a  reed  instrument  that  gave  forth 
low,  mournful  sounds  more  like  the  plaint  of  wind 
at  the  approach  of  a  storm  than  harmonious 
melody  ;  even  when  the  train  started  long  before 
daybreak,  on  the  following  morning,  he  was  still 
piping  the  same  weird,  barbaric  strains.  Like 
most  of  the  private  soldiers,  he  was  wretchedly 
clad,  while  the  officers  were  handsomely  clothed. 
The  distinction,  I  was  told,  is  because  the  garments 
of  the  soldiers  are  furnished  by  the  Government, 
while  the  officers  provide  their  own,  and  are  sub- 
ject to  severe  discipline  if  not  well  dressed.  As  a 
whole  the  officers  are  fine-looking  men,  and  are  as 
dignified  as  one  can  be  who  sits  with  his  feet 
doubled  beneath  him  on  cushioned  seats,  or  carries 
a  big  loaf  of  unwrapped  bread  beneath  his  arm  to 
place  it  as  he  would  an  umbrella  on  the  rack. 
Some  of  them  carry  strings  of  beads  with  which 
they  play  merely  to  satisfy  a  nervous  habit ;  some 
are  more  inquisitive  than  communicative  ;  but, 
whatever  their  faults,  they  are  always  agreeable 
travelling  companions. 

One  of  the  passengers  in  the  same  coach  with 
me  was  a  gentleman  of  English  parentage,  who 
was  on  his  way  to  the  mountains  to  buy  timber. 
As  he  was  born  in  the  Levant,  he  had  a  knowledge 
of  seven  Eastern  languages,  which  made  him  an 
excellent  interpreter,  while  he  possessed  a  fund  of 
interesting  information  he  was  ever  ready  to  im- 


FROM  ALA-SHEHR  TO  KONIA       205 

part.  As  we  passed  a  string  of  camels  labouring 
under  heavy  loads,  he  explained  that  since  the 
camels  of  Asia  Minor  are  larger  and  more  awkward 
than  those  of  Syria  and  Egypt  they  are  rarely 
ridden,  but  used  solely  as  beasts  of  burden  ;  and 
that,  for  wagers  of  sheep,  the  natives  occasionally 
arrange  fights  between  muzzled  male  camels,  which 
with  the  shrewdness  of  professional  boxers  make 
sudden  rushes  to  strike  each  other  with  their 
shoulders ;  and,  when  one  falls,  the  victor  kneels 
on  the  neck  of  the  fallen  one  to  strangle  him.  He 
also  said  that  much  of  the  land,  including  some 
that  is  farmed,  belongs  to  the  Government,  which 
collects  a  rental  of  twenty  or  twenty-five  per  cent 
of  the  crops  ;  and  that  not  only  is  the  system  of 
tax-collecting  exceedingly  unjust,  but  sometimes 
the  tax-collectors  refuse  to  give  receipts  for  taxes 
paid,  then  returning,  collect  again,  so  that  there 
is  danger  of  the  property  of  a  successful  man  being 
confiscated  ultimately. 

The  city  of  Oushak  is  on  the  high  plains  about 
eighty  miles  to  the  north-east  of  Ala-shehr.  Part 
of  it  is  modern  ;  and  even  the  part  that  is  old 
boasts  no  ancient  history.  It  now  contains  about 
twenty-five  thousand  people,  and  spreads  over  a 
larger  area  than  most  Turkish  cities  of  similar 
population.  It  has  also  more  looms  than  any 
other  city  in  Asia  Minor  ;  yet  the  modern  products 
bear  slight  resemblance  to  the  famous  Oushak 
carpets  of  three  centuries  ago.  All  the  looms  we 
saw  were  large,  and  occupied  so  cramped  a  space 


2o6  ASIA  MINOR 

that  it  is  surprising  the  weavers,  who  are  girls,  can 
accompHsh  such  satisfactory  results  as  they  do.  In 
one  of  the  public  streets  we  saw  also  a  mill  con- 
sisting of  two  large  stone  rollers  revolved  by  horse- 
power on  the  surface  of  a  horizontal  disc  ;  though 
crude,  it  showed  an  interesting  advance  over  the 
hollow  stone  of  Gonjeli,  just  as  the  latter  did  over 
the  primitive  mortar  and  pestle. 

The  Englishman  invited  me  to  call  with  him  on 
a  Greek  family  with  whom  he  was  acquainted  ; 
and,  as  the  principal  part  of  the  city  in  which  they 
lived  is  at  a  considerable  distance  from  the  station, 
we  hired  a  covered  carriage.  It  was  drawn  by  two 
horses,  and,  though  of  venerable  age,  rode  far  more 
comfortably  than  the  araba,  or  native  covered 
waggon,  which  is  the  most  important  vehicle  in  all 
but  the  principal  places  of  Asia  Minor.  The  Greeks 
had  recently  lost  by  death  a  member  of  their 
family,  but  were  none  the  less  hospitable.  Their 
neat,  clean  little  house,  modestly  but  carefully 
furnished  and  with  an  atmosphere  of  cosiness,  and 
the  delicious  liqueurs  they  offered,  stand  out  in  the 
memory  in  strong  contrast  to  our  most  wretched 
hotel,  where  the  food  was  so  disgusting  that  even 
the  recollection  is  almost  nauseating,  and  where 
as  a  matter  of  discretion  we  did  not  even  un- 
dress at  night,  but,  covered  with  our  overcoats, 
rested  the  best  we  could  on  the  outside  of  the 
beds. 

The  country  which  the  railway  traverses  from 
Oushak  to  Afium  Kara-hissar  is  over  three  thou- 


FROM  ALA-SHEHR  TO  KONIA       207 

sand  feet  above  the  sea.  Part  of  it  consists  of 
fields  almost  level,  part  of  rolling  hills,  beyond 
which  to  the  north  the  long  range  of  Murad  Dagh, 
the  classic  Dindymus  once  sacred  to  Cybele,  rises 
eight  thousand  feet  above  the  sea.  Throughout 
this  district  fruit  trees  are  scarce.  The  low  open 
land  is  sown  with  wheat  and  barley  ;  the  surround- 
ing hills  bear  oaks  that  furnish  valonia,  as  well  as 
bushes  of  madder  from  whose  roots  the  red  dye  of 
commerce  is  obtained,  and  the  distant  mountains 
are  covered  with  a  heavy  growth  of  pines.  For 
long  stretches  of  country  the  only  habitations  are 
squat  huts  of  dull  earth  widely  scattered  from 
one  another.  Midway  between  the  two  cities  we 
passed  several  villages  of  flat-roofed  houses  of 
adobe  and  limestone,  looking  doubtless  much  as 
the  villages  of  Asia  looked  three  or  four  thousand 
years  ago.  As  our  train  approached  one  of  them, 
some  of  the  inhabitants  cHmbed  to  the  roofs  of 
their  squalid  homes,  and  standing  motionless  gazed 
in  seeming  awe  and  wonder  as  they  probably  have 
gazed  at  the  same  sight  hundreds  of  times  before. 
None  of  these  houses  are  surrounded  by  gardens  or 
trees,  or  even  an  enclosed  bit  of  land  to  in- 
dicate ownership  ;  but  occasionally  we  saw  near 
them  a  crooked  stick  with  which  the  natives  had 
ploughed  the  ground,  and  an  ox-cart  of  two  wheels 
made  of  solid  discs  of  wood  bound  by  a  tire  of 
steel  or  iron. 

Almost  the  only  occupants  of  large  tracts  of 
the  uncultivated  land  are  sohtary  shepherds,  who 


2o8  ASIA  MINOR 

wander  from  plain  to  hill  with  small  flocks  of 
sheep,  or  a  few  poorly-bred  goats,  which  are 
mostly  brown  or  black.  The  shepherds  are  in- 
variably attended  by  keen-eyed  dogs  ;  but  they 
themselves  are  sluggish  as  shadows,  and  seem 
almost  as  inanimate  as  the  ground  on  which  they 
stand.  Probably  this  is  because  they  have  little 
intercourse  with  their  fellow  creatures.  I  was  told 
that  they  live  constantly  with  their  flocks,  drink- 
ing their  milk,  eating  a  little  coarse  bread,  some 
herbs,  or  occasionally  the  flesh  of  a  sheep  if  per- 
chance one  is  injured,  that  they  sleep  in  crudely- 
constructed  brush  huts  or  on  the  lee  of  a  few  rocks 
piled  one  above  the  other.  Their  covering  both 
day  and  night  is  a  coat  of  wool,  which  reaches  to 
their  ankles  and  is  impervious  to  rain  as  well  as  to 
cold,  for  it  is  an  inch  thick  and  made  like  felt.  As 
a  rule  these  coats  are  very  much  wider  than  the 
shoulders,  beyond  which  they  extend  so  as  often 
to  suggest  a  buzzard  spreading  his  wings  to  dry  ; 
they  also  have  hoods  that  can  be  drawn  completely 
over  the  head  like  the  cowl  of  a  monk.  Some  are 
entirely  without  ornaments ;  but  others  are 
marked  with  familiar  figures,  such  as  the  sun,  the 
moon,  a  star,  or  mysterious  symbols  of  circles  and 
irregular  curves,  which  at  a  distance  remind  one 
of  the  brand  on  the  flank  of  a  mustang. 

From  a  long  distance,  an  isolated  and  precipi- 
tous peak  of  ragged  trachyte,  rising  more  than  six 
hundred  feet  above  the  plain,  points  out  the 
junction  of  the  railway  from  Smyrna  with  the 


FROM  ALA-SHEHR  TO  KONIA       209 

railway  from  Constantinople  that  is  ultimately  to 
reach  Bagdad.  Part  of  its  summit  is  occupied  by 
a  citadel  built  by  Ala-ed-din,  which  is  connected 
by  a  steep,  winding  road  with  the  city  of  Ahum 
Kara-hissar  at  its  base.  For  centuries  this  place 
has  been  one  of  great  importance.  In  olden  times 
it  was  near  the  Royal  Road  of  the  Hittites  that 
passed  through  the  valley  of  the  Hermus  and 
across  Phrygia  to  their  capital  at  Boghaz  Keui  in 
Cappadocia  ;  and  the  cities  of  the  Midian  kings 
among  the  Phrygian  mountains  were  only  thirty 
or  forty  miles  to  the  north.  Before  the  completion 
of  the  railway  it  was  one  of  the  principal  stations 
for  caravans  passing  between  the  central  plains 
and  the  w^estern  valleys,  whose  leaders  stopped 
there  to  rest  or  replenish  their  supphes  ;  and  even 
now  many  of  its  thirty  thousand  people,  who 
are  largely  engaged  in  making  and  selling  shoes, 
harness,  and  such  other  articles  as  are  required  by 
the  rural  or  nomadic  population  of  a  large  sur- 
rounding area,  breathe  the  fierce  spirit  of  the  desert 
wilderness.  As  its  name  indicates,  it  has  been  for 
generations  the  centre  of  an  important  opium  in- 
dustry. Most  of  its  population  are  Turks ;  but,  as 
is  frequently  the  case  in  the  interior  of  Asia  Minor, 
those  engaged  in  mercantile  business  are  largely 
Armenians,  who  live  in  a  district  of  the  city 
readily  distinguished  from  the  rest  by  its  cleanh- 
ness. 

Many  parts  of  the  extensive  plain  a'  out  Afium 
Kara-hissar  are  covered  with  pools  and  fens,  the 


210  ASIA  MINOR 

homes  of  ducks  and  smaller  water-fowl,  and  the 
resorts  of  the  heavy-horned  buffalo.  There  are 
also  watercourses  spanned  with  arched  stone 
bridges  that  are  moss-covered  and  stained  with 
age.  But  the  foot-hills  of  the  mountains,  and  the 
part  of  the  plain  that  has  been  elevated  by  re- 
ceiving the  soil  washed  from  them  are  cultivated 
and  have  little  cypress-shaded  villages,  which 
increase  in  size  and  importance  as  the  road  extends 
eastward. 

About  thirty  miles  from  Afium  Kara-hissar  the 
surface  of  the  plain  is  conspicuously  marked  by  a 
number  of  tumuli  of  unknown  origin,  though  it 
has  been  suggested  that  they  mark  the  site  of  the 
battle  of  Ipsus,  where  Lysimachus  defeated  Antig- 
onus,  in  301  B.C.,  in  their  final  struggle  for  the 
dominion  of  Asia.  It  was  near  here  that  the  army 
of  Cyrus  the  Younger,  accompanied  by  Xenophon, 
entered  the  central  plateau  after  crossing  from  the 
valley  of  the  Hermus  to  the  head  of  the  valley  of 
the  Maeander  and  turning  to  the  north  of  the  large 
lakes  that  rest  among  the  hills  at  the  western  end 
of  the  Taurus  range.  And  from  here,  his  army 
and  those  of  other  conquerors  followed  very  much 
the  same  direction  as  the  present  road,  which 
passes  by  Konia  to  Cilicia,  and  thence  through 
the  Cilician  gates  to  the  burning  plain  of  the 
Euphrates. 

To  the  east  of  Ipsus  the  road  follows  the  base 
of  the  lofty  Sultan  Dagh.  In  the  spring  of  the 
year  it  traverses  fields  green  with  grain ;  wherever 


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FROM  ALA-SHEHR  TO  KONIA       211 

brooks  issue  from  ravines  in  the  mountains,  it 
passes  numerous  orchards  in  bloom.  Farther  east 
it  skirts  Lake  Ak-shehr,  which  has  a  length  of 
about  seventeen  miles  ;  and  a  little  beyond,  on  the 
site  of  the  earlier  Philomelium,  the  place  of  night- 
ingales, it  enters  the  picturesque  though  dirty 
town  of  Ak-shehr,  which  is  surrounded  by  gardens, 
and  holds  the  ruins  of  a  faience-ornamented 
mosque,  built  by  the  Seljuks  in  the  thirteenth 
century.  To  the  east  of  this  town  the  road  passes 
along  marshy  land  of  rich  black  soil  and  among 
rolling  hills  of  hmestone,  which  here  and  there 
show  traces  of  ancient  fortifications.  Near  one  of 
them  was  found  an  inscription  of  the  Hittites. 
Even  without  being  deciphered,  it  marks  as  defi- 
nitely as  a  milestone  the  direction  of  their  southern 
road  between  the  East  and  West. 

As  we  travelled  over  the  road,  new  scenes  con- 
stantly opened  before  us.  Here  we  saw  meadows 
where  magpies  and  storks  reigned  undisputed  ; 
here,  rolling  ground  in  which  buffalo  and  black 
cattle  were  pasturing.  At  the  border  of  a  lake 
teeming  with  wild  fowl,  Yuruks  were  cutting  bul- 
rushes, and  beginning  to  build  their  summer 
homes  ;  in  little  villages,  Turkish  peasants  were 
living  in  low,  flat-roofed  houses  made  of  mud  ; 
while  in  the  towns,  more  prosperous  natives  had 
two-story  dwellings  with  tiled  roofs.  There  was 
also  diversity  in  the  clothes  of  the  men,  though 
the  women  generally  wore  red  or  black.  A  man 
with  light  blue  shirt,  broad  red  sash,  and  dark  blue 


212  ASIA  MINOR 

trousers,  which  bulged  enormously  at  his  loins  and 
were  gathered  about  his  waist  by  a  stout  piece  of 
cord,  was  ploughing  a  green  field,  and  turning  up 
the  brownish  red  soil.  Another,  adhering  to  a  more 
conservative  style,  was  wearing  a  golden  yellow 
shirt,  and  a  pair  of  blue  trousers  richly  ornamented 
with  dark  braid. 

About  thirty  miles  to  the  north-west  of  Konia 
the  railway  winds  along  the  sides  of  a  chain  of 
hills  at  a  sufficient  elevation  to  obtain  an  extended 
view  over  the  central  plateau,  known  as  the  Axylon 
Plains  or  the  Salt  Desert.  Some  of  the  cuts  made 
for  the  road-bed  display  fine  gravel,  the  relics  of 
that  great  inland  lake  which  ages  ago  occupied  this 
desert  ;  and  -further  to  the  south,  between  Konia 
and  Karaman,  the  road  passes  over  what  appears 
to  be  an  old  beach  on  its  southern  shore.  Near  the 
centre  of  this  desert.  Lake  Tuz  Geul  spreads  its 
salt  water  over  an  area  sixty  miles  in  length  and 
nearly  half  that  width  ;  while,  almost  hidden  in 
the  blue  haze  of  the  distance,  a  line  of  cones  trends 
from  south-west  to  north-east,  pointing  to  the 
volcanic  pile  of  Mt.  Argaeus,  which  rises  thirteen 
thousand  one  hundred  feet  above  the  sea.  Only  a 
few  villages  are  scattered  over  this  great  stretch 
of  almost  barren  land,  only  a  few  patches  of  green. 
Surrounding  them  are  vast  areas  of  emptiness, 
where  blinding  radiance  fades  into  mirage.  Yet 
now  and  then  may  be  seen  a  shepherd  following 
his  flock  over  the  wrinkled  surface  of  the  ground, 
or  the  dust  rising  from  the  hoofs  of  passing  camels. 


FROM  ALA-SHEHR  TO  KONIA      213 

No   one  can  look  long  at   this  space  without 
becoming  conscious  of  its  subtle  power.     Unhke 
mountains  that  are  rugged,  or  meadows  that  are 
radiant  with  flowers,  the  desert  of  Asia  Minor  has 
a  charm  which  is  the  greater  because  it  is  not  at 
once  perceived,  but  being  largely  intellectual  grows 
with  intimacy.    It  is  due  partly  to  the  fact  that 
the  observer  is  inclined  to  ignore  details  and  to 
regard  aggregates.    It  is  felt  in  the  vastness,  which 
suggests  the  infinite  ;   in  the  silence  and  sohtude, 
which  invite  communion  with  what  is  spiritual. 
The  charm  appears  in  the  mystery  of  phenomena, 
as  when  the  trembling  air  rising  from  the  heated 
earth  creates  weird  pictures  hke  the  fancies  of  a 
child.     And  yet  the  attractive  quahties  of  the 
desert  are  not  all  intangible  ;  it  has  a  beauty  that 
is  real.    No  fiercely  flowing  waters  have  gashed  its 
surface,  but  time  has  moulded  it  with  more  tender 
agencies  into  reposeful  forms.    No  trees  shade  it  ; 
but  its  low  hummocks,  narrow  watercourses,  and 
great  flat  areas  are  covered  with  a  simple  vegeta- 
tion of  green  and  brown  and  purple  that  every- 
where blend  in  perfect  harmony,  and  in  the  far-off 
horizon  softly  fade  away.    The  air  that  hovers  over 
it  has  the  power,  like  the  brush  of  an  artist,  of 
painting  distant  stretches  and  encircling  moun- 
tains with  colours  created  by  the  reflection  and 
refraction  of  light,  of  changing  their  dull  tones  to 
deep  lilac  and  violet,  to  soft  yellow  and  rose.    And 
it  has  a  grandeur  that  is  felt  in  the  clash  of  thunder- 
storms, and  also  in  the  peaceful  blue  darkness  of 


214  ASIA  MINOR 

night,  when  through  a  dry  atmosphere  untainted 
by  the  smoke  of  cities  the  fires  of  countless  stars 
bum  with  starthng  brilHancy. 

A  few  miles  from  the  railway,  among  the  hills  to 
the  south-western  side  of  the  great  desert,  the  old 
highway  passes  through  the  town  of  Yorgan  Ladik. 
The  ground  about  it  contains  fragments  of  columns, 
friezes,  and  architraves,  which  mark  the  site  of  the 
earlier  Laodicea  Combusta,  once  an  influential  city 
on  the  highway  between  the  western  coast  and  the 
Mesopotamian  valley.  Perhaps  some  great  con- 
flagration destroyed  its  ancient  buildings,  as  this 
would  account  for  the  epithet  Combusta,  although 
the  derivation  is  still  in  doubt.  For  centuries  it 
was  almost  forgotten,  and  it  is  no  longer  a  place 
of  political  importance  ;  yet  it  has  given  its  name 
to  some  of  the  most  interesting  rugs  that  have  been 
woven  in  Asia  Minor,  in  which  mystic  symbols  are 
displayed  against  a  background  of  rich  blues  and 
reds  and  golden  browns. 

About  thirty  miles  farther  to  the  south  the 
ancient  highway  reaches  Silleh,  a  large  town  re- 
sembling some  picturesque  fastness  built  by  the 
Kurds  among  the  head-waters  of  the  Euphrates. 
It  occupies  both  sides  of  a  deep  ravine  enclosed  by 
sandstone  hills.  To  the  east,  the  hills  overlook 
irregular  patches  of  barren  land  which  rise  and  fall 
in  folds  like  the  long  swell  of  the  ocean,  as  well  as 
cultivated  fields,  orchards  of  apples,  peaches,  and 
pears,  and  a  white  road  stretching  ten  miles  to 
the  south-east,  where  the  ashy  minarets  and  dull 


FROM  ALA-SHEHR  TO  KONIA       215 

walls  of  Konia  rise  above  the  plain.  To  the  west, 
the  hills  are  confronted  by  the  most  northern  of 
conspicuous  twin  peaks,  an  outrider  of  the  Taurus 
range,  called  St.  Thekla  after  the  earliest  Christian 
saint  of  the  district,  who,  it  is  said,  was  miracu- 
lously received  into  it  at  her  death.  After  every 
storm  the  ravine  is  swept  by  a  torrent  from  the 
mountains,  though  in  summer  it  becomes  dry  and 
is  property  in  common  for  chickens,  dogs,  and 
donkeys.  Several  stone  bridges  cross  it  and  bind 
together  two  shapeless  streets,  which  are  formed 
by  terracing  the  embankments,  and  are  barely 
wide  enough  for  the  passage  of  an  araba,  though 
they  are  the  principal  business  thoroughfares  of  tht- 
city.  From  these  streets  crooked  lanes  ascend 
the  steep  acclivities  between  closely  clustered 
houses  that  reach  almost  to  the  top  of  the  hills. 
Most  of  the  houses  have  flat  roofs  and  are  built  of 
stone  ;  the  second  stories  of  some  have  crudely 
made  verandas  ;  and  almost  all  are  conspicuous 
for  their  large  number  of  windows,  which  com- 
mand a  view  of  the  houses  rising  tier  above  tier  on 
the  opposite  side.  A  number  of  caves,  which  may 
have  been  habitations  in  the  past,  pierce  the  hills 
close  by  the  houses  ;  while  the  austere  appearance 
of  the  town  is  further  increased  by  the  almost  total 
absence  of  trees  and  graceful  minarets,  which  in 
so  many  places  soften  the  harsh  lines  of  Oriental 
homes. 

The  curious  crowds  that  gathered  about  me 
when  I  entered  the  town  betrayed  the  fact  that  the 


2i6  ASIA  MINOR 

gates  were  not  often  thrown  wide  for  Occidental 
guests  ;  but  in  their  attentions  was  no  rudeness. 
A  youthful  Turk  showed  me  the  way  from  the 
ravine  to  the  business  house  of  two  Greek  gentle- 
men, to  whom  I  had  a  letter  of  introduction.  To- 
gether we  crossed  the  high  humped  bridge,  beneath 
which  the  water  swirled,  and  climbed  a  crooked 
street,  now  pausing  to  take  breath,  now  mounting 
higher,  now  turning  hither  and  thither  through 
open  spots  and  narrow  lanes,  till  I  began  to  doubt 
the  wisdom  of  following  farther.  But  beckoning 
with  consoling  assurance,  he  at  last  approached 
and  knocked  at  the  door  of  a  large  house  near  the 
farther  end  of  the  ravine. 

The  gentlemen,  who  are  carpet  merchants,  re- 
ceived me  with  a  most  engaging  cordiality  ;  and 
one  of  them,  who  spoke  most  excellent  English,  at 
once  becoming  host  and  guide,  took  me  to  visit  the 
different  parts  of  the  town.  The  population  is 
about  half  Turk,  half  Greek  ;  and,  as  is  usual 
throughout  Asia  Minor,  the  Greeks  occupy  the 
cleanest  part.  We  entered  one  of  their  dwellings 
on  the  western  side  of  the  ravine  to  get  a  view  from 
its  balcony  of  the  houses  on  the  opposite  side,  as 
well  as  the  many  curious  caves  in  the  precipitous 
cliffs  above  them.  Not  one  round  dome,  and  only 
a  single  minaret,  lay  before  us  ;  but  fiat-roofed 
houses  rose  from  the  bank  of  the  river  to  the 
summit  of  the  opposite  accHvity,  mingling  in 
picturesque  disarray,  and  packed  so  densely  that 
there  appeared  barely  room  for  the  narrow  lanes 


FROM  ALA-SHEHR  TO  KONIA       217 

that  approached  them.  They  were  clustered  hke 
the  nests  of  swallows  attached  to  a  cliff,  and  sug- 
gested a  mediaeval  city  such  as  the  Crusaders  must 
have  witnessed  when  they  passed  through  Ana- 
tolia. But  however  plain  the  exterior  of  the  rect- 
angular-shaped houses  opposite,  however  untidy 
the  interior  of  some  of  them  doubtless  were,  the 
rooms  of  this  Greek  home  were  scrupulously 
clean,  and  their  uncarpeted  wooden  floors  were 
spotless. 

Since  rug  weaving  is  one  of  the  principal  indus- 
tries of  Silleh,  we  visited  a  number  of  the  weavers. 
All  of  them  were  working  in  small  houses,  seated 
on  a  board  placed  across  boxes  before  a  long,  low 
loom,  tying  knots  with  wonderful  facility  as  they 
followed  a  printed  pattern  just  above  their  heads. 
Some  of  these  patterns  were  so  intricate  as  to  call 
for  workmanship  of  a  high  order  ;  but  after  an 
instantaneous  glance,  as  a  virtuoso  at  a  few  bars 
of  music,  they  would  seize  a  short  piece  of  yarn 
from  one  of  the  innumerable  coloured  balls  sus- 
pended above  them,  and  with  nimble  fingers  twist 
it  deftly  about  two  adjacent  threads  of  warp.  All 
were  girls,  and  some  so  young  it  seemed  strange 
they  could  work  with  such  rapidity  ;  yet  it  had 
become  almost  a  second  nature,  since  a  twinkle  in 
their  eyes  or  a  glance  from  side  to  side  would  some- 
times betray  truant  thoughts,  but  all  the  time 
their  fingers  were  ceaselessly  tying.  Perhaps  they 
learn  to  love  this  work  of  making  woven  coloured 
pictures,  of  interweaving  designs  associated  with 


2i8  ASIA  MINOR 

Oriental  splendour,  and  symbols  of  deep  meaning 
unknown  to  the  Western  world. 

We  then  visited  a  small  Greek  church,  which 
looked,  in  the  dim  light  that  struggled  through 
the  windows,  as  if  it  might  have  stood  long  before 
the  fall  of  the  Byzantine  power.  And  to  this 
dignity  of  age  was  added  the  impressive  solemnity 
of  burning  tapers,  of  carved  woodwork  darkened 
by  the  hand  of  time,  of  three  or  four  silent  wor- 
shippers kneeling  before  the  chancel,  and  of  the 
venerable  priests  who  were  noiselessly  officiating 
at  the  altar.  Both  worshippers  and  priests  were 
so  absorbed  in  their  devotions  that  they  seemed 
oblivious  of  our  presence,  as  well  as  heedless  of  the 
clang  and  rattle  with  which  a  custodian  unlocked 
and  opened  a  closet,  from  which  he  pulled  out  a 
heavy  iron  chest,  with  lock  and  hinges  rusty  with 
age,  to  draw  forth  for  our  inspection  a  piece  of 
embroidery.  He  said  it  was  three  hundred  years 
old,  and  had  come  from  the  island  of  Chios  eighty 
years  before.  It  was  made  of  the  finest  web,  and 
of  needlework  coloured  with  delicate  tones  that 
blended  in  harmony,  as  was  also  the  case  of  an 
altar  piece,  on  which  dainty  flowers  were  pro- 
fusely embroidered  beneath  a  prayer  arch.  But 
of  still  greater  age  and  more  beautiful  than  either 
the  others  was  a  piece  of  exquisite  embroidery, 
representing  with  the  artistic  feeling  and  symbol- 
ism of  the  East  two  birds  hovering  about  an 
opening  lotus  flower.  There  was  no  record  of 
either  age  or  origin,  yet  without  a  doubt  it  was 


FROM  ALA-SHEHR  TO  KONIA      219 

some  priceless  relic  of  a  remote  past.  So  it  is  that 
some  of  the  old  churches  and  mosques  of  Asia  still 
tenderly  preserve  a  few  of  the  mementoes  of  their 
former  magnificence. 


CHAPTER  X 

KONIA 

NONE  of  the  inhabited  cities  of  Asia 
Minor  are  more  attractive  than  Konia. 
It  is  at  an  altitude  of  about  thirty-four 
hundred  feet  above  the  sea,  and  near 
the  base  of  the  Taurus  mountains,  where  they 
swing  in  a  south-easterly  direction  along  the  great 
circumference  of  the  Axylon  Plains.  On  the  north- 
east it  faces  the  low  range  of  Boz  Dagh,  which  rises 
like  an  embattlement  in  a  desert  so  vast  that  an 
observer  is  conscious  at  first  of  little  but  its  im- 
mensity, its  fading  colour,  its  solitude,  and  its 
mystery.  During  parts  of  winter  the  mountains 
and  desert  glitter  with  snow  ;  in  spring  they  are 
covered  with  grass  and  wild  flowers  ;  in  summer 
the  green  of  vegetation  turns  to  varying  shades  of 
brown  ;  and  in  autumn,  when  the  grass  dies, 
the  lower  flanks  of  the  mountains  seem  parched, 
and  the  uncovered  sands  of  the  desert  gleam 
with  the  lustre  of  gold,  with  the  fire  of  glowing 
bronze.  Yet  it  is  not  the  natural  beauty  of  these 
surroundings,  but  its  historic  associations  and 
its  ruins  that  make  Konia  so  absorbingly  attrac- 
tive. 

220 


KONIA  221 

It  is  a  very  old  city,  once  known  as  Iconium. 
In  some  ancient  lore  it  shares  with  Mt.  Ararat  the 
distinction  of  being  the  first  spot  to  appear  after 
the  subsidence  of  the  Deluge  ;  Xenophon  mentions 
it  in  his  Anabasis,  and  Cicero  refers  to  it  as  the 
capital  of  Lycaonia.  Barnabas  and  the  apostle 
Paul  visited  it  to  present  Christianity  to  its  people, 
but  were  compelled  to  flee  to  a  neighbouring 
village  ;  nevertheless  Paul  subsequently  returned, 
and  in  the  third  century  a  Christian  synod  con- 
vened there.  At  the  end  of  the  eleventh  century 
it  was  captured  by  the  Seljuks,  who  made  it  the 
capital  of  their  kingdom  of  Roum,  from  which 
they  ruled  a  large  part  of  Asia  Minor  for  two 
hundred  years  ;  although  for  short  periods  their 
sultans  w^ere  deposed  by  the  Mongols,  and  in 
1 190  A.D.  Frederic  Barbarossa  captured  the  outer 
walls,  but  was  unable  to  seize  the  castle. 

Of  the  earhest  city  almost  nothing  now  exists 
but  a  few  stones,  which  the  Seljuks  placed  in  w^alls 
of  defence  in  such  a  way  that  many  of  their  Greek 
inscriptions  may  still  be  seen.  Nor  is  much  of 
these  walls  left,  though  they  were  two  miles  in 
circumference  and  were  flanked  with  lofty  square 
towers.  The  oldest  objects  of  consequence  are  the 
medrissas  and  mosques,  which  contain  some  of  the 
finest  Suljukian  ornamentation  that  now  remains 
in  Asia  Minor. 

The  modern  city  of  Konia  has  about  sixty  thou- 
sand inhabitants,  of  whom  a  small  fraction  are 
Armenians  and  Greeks,  and  the  remainder  Turks. 


222  ASIA  MINOR 

It  is  accordingly  one  of  the  most  important  cities 
of  Asia  Minor,  destined  to  become  a  large  metro- 
polis that  will  control  the  trade  of  a  vast  territory. 
The  mountains  to  the  south  and  west  are  covered 
with  forests  of  valuable  timber  ;  on  their  flanks 
are  raised  large  flocks  of  sheep  ;  the  rich  soil  at 
the  base  of  the  foothills  sustains  orchards  that  bear 
delicious  fruit,  and  parts  of  the  plain,  now  irri- 
gated, produce  bountiful  harvests  of  grain.  It 
was  doubtless  a  realization  of  the  possibilities  of 
the  future  that  prompted  the  owners  of  the  railway 
to  erect  at  the  station  one  of  the  best  hotels  in  Asia 
Minor,  though  it  lacks  many  of  the  comforts  of 
the  large  European  hotels.  Two  or  three  smaller 
hotels  and  places  of  refreshment,  where  the  natives 
of  small  fortune  and  hardened  to  Asiatic  travel 
stay,  have  also  been  built  on  a  broad  street  facing 
the  railway.  But  the  city  proper,  where  houses  of 
one  story,  and  some  of  two  and  even  three  stories 
are  thickly  clustered,  is  nearly  a  mile  distant. 

The  main  road  between  the  station  and  the  heart 
of  the  city  passes  between  a  few  scattered  houses 
surrounded  by  orchards.  At  all  hours  of  the  day 
and  part  of  the  night  it  is  occupied  by  a  stream  of 
travel  :  creaking  ox-carts  and  grunting  camels  ; 
veiled  women  and  bronzed  men,  afoot ;  other  men 
on  donkeys  and  horses  ;  prosperous  merchants  and 
well-dressed  officers  in  carriages  drawn  by  two 
horses  ;  and  at  frequent  intervals  a  small  one- 
horse  tram,  so  arranged  as  to  discriminate  between 
first-  and  second-class  passengers  by  moving  two 


KONIA  223 

cushions  from  one  end  of  the  tram  to  the  other  at 
each  reversal  of  direction  of  the  journey,  and  also 
to  afford  a  semblance  of  exclusion  to  Moslem 
women  by  stretching  a  thin  curtain  between  them 
and  the  men. 

The  tramway  ends  in  front  of  a  large  stone 
building  of  modern  architecture,  the  home  of  a 
branch  of  the  Imperial  Ottoman  Bank,  which  is 
usually  managed  by  a  Greek,  for  the  Turks  them- 
selves acknowledge  that  the  Greeks  have  superior 
business  sagacity.  Most  of  the  business  of  the  city 
centres  about  a  square  only  a  few  rods  distant.  A 
massive  Konak,  built  in  1887  of  stone,  and  regarded 
as  one  of  the  finest  Government  buildings  in 
Turkey,  occupies  the  whole  of  one  side.  A  large 
Turkish  khan  is  on  one  corner,  vis-d-vis  of  the 
Konak  ;  near  it  is  the  post  office  ;  and  on  another 
side  of  the  square  is  a  small  restaurant,  where  I 
was  surprised  at  the  excellence  of  the  meal  that 
was  served,  until  I  discovered  that  the  chef  was  a 
foreigner.  These  and  the  other  buildings  about 
the  square  are  hke  a  whirlpool  drawing  to  it  the 
people  from  the  surrounding  parts  of  Konia,  which 
are  old  and  exhale  the  odour  and  the  incense  of 
the  Orient. 

It  is  only  a  hundred  yards  from  the  square  to 
the  bazaar,  which  contains  innumerable  small 
booths,  facing  narrow  intersecting  lanes.  Since 
the  whole  of  it  is  covered  so  as  to  exclude  both  sun 
and  rain,  the  interior  is  at  all  times  in  shadow,  as 
if  in  the  dimness  of  twilight,  though  here  and  there 


224  ASIA  MINOR 

the  ground  is  diapered  with  threads  and  splashes 
of  sunshine.  This  dusky  gloom  has  the  advantage 
of  precluding  a  too  careful  scrutiny  of  the  quality 
of  the  innumerable  articles  that  are  for  sale  in  the 
musty  booths  by  men  who  have  all  the  cunning  of 
the  Oriental.  If  a  stranger  cast  an  inquiring  look 
at  any  of  the  wares,  an  eager  gleam  comes  into  the 
shrewd  little  eyes  of  the  vendors  ;  in  a  trice  they 
rise  from  their  crossed  legs  and  spring  forward  to 
prove  to  their  possible  victim  his  utter  folly  in  not 
accepting  what  with  the  love  of  a  brother  they 
will  part  with  for  less  than  cost.  But,  if  the 
stranger  decline  their  offer,  they  turn  away  with  a 
look  of  perfectly  feigned  indifference. 

In  summer,  untempered  breaths  of  air  from  the 
burning  plain  drive  the  people  of  Konia  to  the 
cool  shade  of  the  bazaar.  They  often  wander 
among  the  booths,  or  linger  near  the  meeting  of 
its  principal  ways,  and  drink  at  a  stone  fountain 
whose  graceful  columns  and  light  canopy  are  in 
pleasing  contrast  with  the  sheds  and  wretched 
buildings  that  surround  it.  The  Mussulman  law 
requiring  the  cleansing  of  face,  hands,  and  feet  be- 
fore the  act  of  prayer  is  also  in  a  measure  respon- 
sible for  the  many  other  fountains  throughout  the 
city.  One  is  built  near  every  mosque  ;  one  is 
in  the  public  square ;  two,  with  canopies  above 
eight  slender  columns  resting  on  bases  of  carefully 
chiselled  stone,  are  in  the  market  place ;  and  others 
are  placed  in  the  district  frequented  by  the  camels 
and  the  strangers  from  the  desert. 


IK    rn^AI.    OK     IHK    IN.IKIl     MINARE 


ET    MOSQUE    AT    KONIA 


KONIA  225 

Though  the  bazaar  is  essentially  the  place  for 
vendors,  it  enjoys  no  monopoly.  Every  day  in  the 
week,  but  more  particularly  on  fixed  market  days, 
men  and  women  who  have  not  yet  risen  to  the 
dignity  of  petty  merchants  bring  their  wares  and 
produce  to  an  open  space  adjoining  the  bazaar,  and 
spread  them  over  the  ground  and  on  improvised 
and  easily  removed  tables.  From  morn  till  night, 
as  patiently  as  spiders  beside  their  webs,  they 
squat  behind  piles  of  fruit  and  vegetables,  loaves 
of  bread,  bits  of  hardware,  bundles  of  charcoal, 
and  half-worn  clothes  and  rags  so  squalid  that  it 
is  a  wonder  anyone  should  be  willing  to  carry  them 
away.  A  street  on  the  side  of  the  bazaar  opposite 
the  market  place  is  also  occupied  by  mechanics  of 
various  callings :  blacksmiths,  harness-makers, 
carpenters,  and,  by  far  the  largest  number  of  all, 
shoemakers,  who  make  so  many  shoes — some  all 
leather  and  some  nearly  all  wood — that  it  seems 
almost  incredible  that  the  demand  can  equal  the 
supply. 

A  little  beyond  this  quarter,  but  still  in  the 
centre  of  the  city,  is  the  place  of  the  camels  and 
the  camel  drivers.  Even  from  a  distance,  the 
rasping  brays  of  donkeys,  the  grunting  of  camels, 
and  the  harsh  cries  of  men  betray  its  character. 
In  the  morning  long  strings  of  camels  decked  with 
gaudy  trappings,  with  beads  or  cowrie  shells,  de- 
signed both  for  ornament  and  to  counteract  the 
spell  of  the  evil  eye,  start  on  their  day's  journey 
to  some  pass  in  the  Taurus  mountains  or  into  the 

Q 


226  ASIA  MINOR 

trembling,  blazing  light  of  burning  wastes  ;  and 
at  evening  they  come  grey  with  dust  and  weary. 
Linked  together  by  ropes,  they  form  a  chain  whose 
right  of  way  must  be  respected,  as  I  learned  one 
day  when  I  ran  afoul  of  a  number  who  were  divided 
in  their  opinion  as  to  which  side  of  the  street  they 
should  follow.  Striding  majestically,  they  are  an 
imposing  spectacle.  There  is  also  a  strange  fasci- 
nation in  the  gaunt,  wiry  forms  and  in  the  leathery 
faces  of  their  drivers,  for  they  seem  the  incarna- 
tion of  alkahne  plains,  or  sandy  deserts.  Before 
the  start,  their  voices  rise  loud  and  clear  above  the 
brays  and  grunts  and  barks  ;  but  when  the  march 
begins  they  stalk  Hke  spectres,  mute  with  the  reti- 
cence born  of  constant  association  with  great 
silence  and  still  greater  solitude. 

The  bazaar,  market  place,  and  district  of  the 
camel  drivers  are  centres  of  life  fascinatingly 
Oriental.  Grim,  inscrutable  tribesmen  from  the 
desert,  directly  descended  from  the  earHest  in- 
habitants of  the  land,  unkempt-looking  shep- 
herds from  the  Taurus  mountains,  wrapped  in 
huge  goatskin  coats  with  the  shaggy  hair  next  to 
their  bodies  and  the  tanned  sides  exposed  to  the 
air,  and  tall  men  of  the  caravans  wearing  turbans, 
short  jackets,  bulging  trousers  and  coarse  boots 
and  leggings,  mingle  together  like  strangers  as 
they  walk  with  seeming  aimlessness  hither  and 
thither.  A  man  with  a  pock-marked  face  of  dis- 
tinctly Mongol  type  passes  another  whose  heavy 
features  bear  a  striking  resemblance  to  carvings 


KONIA  227 

on  old  Hittite  monuments.  Women  with  heads 
and  faces  covered  with  white  mantles  glide  silently 
by  ;  while  a  hadji  wearing  a  green  turban  and  with 
the  calm  dignity  of  a  sheikh,  a  grave  mollah  dressed 
in  long  flowing  robes,  and  a  gaunt  figure  with 
blanched  face  and  the  aspect  of  a  seer  wander 
slowly  through  the  crowd.  Some  are  dark-faced 
men  in  whose  veins  burn  the  fierce  fires  of  the 
desert,  in  whose  memories  linger  the  recollections 
of  thirst  and  hunger  and  savage  strife  ;  some  are 
women  whose  dark  eyes  flame  with  the  emotions 
of  barbaric  maidenhood,  or  whose  hearts  beat  with 
the  tender  love  of  motherhood. 

There  are  dogs,  too,  in  Konia  ;  not  the  pam- 
pered thoroughbreds  of  London  or  Paris,  but 
such  as  lived  in  Constantinople  before  they  were 
banished  to  an  island  of  the  Sea  of  Marmora  to  die 
of  home  sickness.  No  doubt  they  are  of  the  same 
breed,  for  each  dog  knows  his  own  district  as  well 
as  the  particular  clan  to  which  he  belongs ;  and, 
whenever  a  signal  bark  is  heard,  the  whole  yelping 
pack  loyally  appears  with  glittering  fangs  and 
bristling  manes.  There  are  also  pariah  puppies  at 
every  corner,  too  serious  to  be  playful,  and  wearing 
sad,  dejected  looks  as  if  conscious  of  life's  struggles 
awaiting  them. 

One  of  my  pleasantest  recollections  of  Konia  is 
associated  with  a  visit  to  the  hospital  of  the  Ameri- 
can Medical  Missionaries,  situated  a  short  distance 
from  the  Konak  on  a  street  through  which  the 
tramway  passes.    I  remember  well  noticing  for  the 


228  ASIA  MINOR 

first  time  the  words  "  American  Pharmacy  "  in 
large  letters  above  the  door  of  a  modern  building 
with  glass  front,  for  it  impressed  me  strangely  to 
meet  something  claiming  to  be  distinctly  American 
in  the  heart  of  Asia  Minor,  and  to  be  told  that  in 
the  building,  separated  from  it  by  a  large  gateway, 
I  would  meet  resident  surgeons  who  had  been  born 
beneath  the  Stars  and  Stripes,  but  for  humanity 
were  passing  their  lives  in  almost  a  wilderness. 
The  reception  they  accorded  me  was  most  kind. 
They  aided  me  in  obtaining  the  services  of  an 
English-speaking  native  who  acted  as  an  inter- 
preter, and  showed  me  many  objects  of  interest 
in  the  city.  They  also  furnished  me  with  an  official 
pass  which  opened  the  doors  of  the  Seljukian 
mosques,  and  offered  any  further  assistance  I 
might  require. 

Konia  is  said  to  contain  over  one  hundred 
mosques.  Those  built  by  the  Seljuks  can  be  seen 
only  by  special  permission,  as  they  are  no  longer 
in  use  ;  and  a  very  large  number  of  the  remainder 
are  insignificant.  One  with  the  unusual  feature 
of  an  arcade  extending  along  the  whole  length  of 
one  of  its  faces  is  near  the  bazaar  ;  and  on  account 
of  its  convenient  location  is  frequented  by  many 
of  the  Turks  at  the  hour  of  prayer.  Once,  just 
after  a  large  exodus  of  Moslems,  I  entered  by 
pushing  aside  the  heavy  leather  curtain  that 
covered  the  doorway,  and  noticed  in  one  corner  a 
moUah  seated  on  threadbare  kilims  murmuring  to 
a  number  of  disciples,  and  in  different  parts  of  the 


KONIA  229 

hall  a  few  mute  worshippers,  still  at  prayer.  The 
faces  of  all  had  the  calm,  abstract  look  of  fasters 
during  the  month  of  Ramadan.  At  first  I  felt 
almost  painfully  the  meanness  of  the  interior,  the 
total  absence  of  the  Oriental  splendour  produced 
by  the  glimmer  of  crystal  chandeliers,  the  changing 
shades  of  marble,  the  dehcate  carvings  of  arab- 
esques, and  the  exquisite  colour  of  velvety  weav- 
ings  ;  but  at  length  I  began  to  understand,  though 
vaguely,  how  the  followers  of  Mohammed  found 
in  the  grim  silence,  in  the  dull  light  like  the  first 
radiance  of  dawn,  the  inexplicable  spell  of  that 
mystery  that  not  only  soothes  but  awakens  yearn- 
ings for  communion  with  the  Invisible. 

A  solitary  hill,  half  a  mile  from  the  depot,  and 
rising  to  a  height  of  seventy  feet  with  a  circumfer- 
ence of  about  a  thousand  yards,  is  the  only  part  of 
the  city  that  is  not  level.  One  of  the  conspicuous 
objects  on  its  summit  is  a  Byzantine  church 
which,  despite  its  ancient  appearance,  has  been 
considerably  transformed  from  the  original  struc- 
ture, dedicated  to  Bishop  Amphilochius  in  the 
fourth  century  a.  d.  It  now  supports  a  clock  tower, 
from  which  a  magnificent  view  may  be  obtained 
over  all  the  city.  In  the  direction  of  the  station 
and  to  the  north-west,  gardens  enclosed  by  high 
walls  of  mud  and  stone  occupy  more  space  than 
houses  ;  but  the  more  populous  parts  of  the  city 
present  a  vast  panorama  of  roofs  broken  by  huge 
domes  and  tall  minarets.  To  the  south  and  west 
appear  fruit  trees,  hedges,  and  bits  of  dark  green 


230  ASIA  MINOR 

foliage  ;  but  there  are  comparatively  few  of  the 
plane-trees,  the  poplars  and  the  cypresses  that  are 
so  conspicuous  in  western  Asia  Minor. 

It  is  not  improbable  that  the  earliest  inhabitants 
of  Iconium  took  possession  of  this  hill  in  accord- 
ance with  the  invariable  custom  of  selecting  ele- 
vated ground.  When  the  Seljuks  made  Konia 
their  capital,  they  at  once  recognized  its  impor- 
tance. The  famous  Ala-ed-din,  who  surrounded 
himself  with  men  versed  in  law,  literature,  art,  and 
mysticism  from  the  cultured  cities  of  Turkestan, 
Persia,  and  Syria,  and  who  promoted  commercial 
intercourse  with  the  maritime  cities  of  Europe, 
built  his  palace  on  its  northern  side  not  far  from 
the  Byzantine  church.  It  was  decorated  with  blue 
and  green  faience,  and  with  carvings  ;  but  now 
almost  nothing  of  it  remains  but  a  shapeless  mass, 
which  still  retains  the  name  of  the  "  Throne  of 
Sultan  Ala-ed-din."  About  1220  a.d.  he  also  built 
near  it  a  mosque  that  is  larger  than  any  other  in 
Konia  and  unlike  any  other  in  Asia  Minor.  What 
was  formerly  the  principal  doorway,  a  recessed 
entrance  with  beautiful  marble  carving  designed 
by  a  Syrian,  is  now  sealed  ;  the  flat  roof  is  relieved 
only  by  a  single  minaret  and  a  low  pyramidal- 
shaped  tower  rising  above  the  place  of  the  tombs  ; 
and  the  exterior  as  a  whole  lacks  that  beauty  of 
outline  peculiar  to  most  of  the  mosques  built  by 
the  sultans  to  perpetuate  their  memory.  The 
large  hall  of  the  interior  contains  rows  of  over  fifty 
columns,  supporting  pointed  arches,  on  which  the 


KONIA  231 

roof  rests.  They  differ  from  one  another  in  the 
carving  of  their  shafts  and  capitals,  some  perhaps 
being  the  disjecta  membra  of  more  ancient  build- 
ings ;  yet  they  present  little  seeming  incongruity 
viewed  in  the  soft  yellowish  light  of  the  long  vistas. 
Once  the  floor  between  them  was  covered  with 
some  old  and  very  valuable  carpets  ;  but  these 
have  recently  been  removed  and  replaced  by  in- 
numerable small  modern  pieces  and  kilims,  poorly 
woven  and  of  wretched  colours.  Once  tiles  of 
Persian  inspiration  decorated  the  mihrab  in  one 
of  the  walls  to  the  left  of  the  entrance  ;  but  the 
original  decoration  was  removed  to  Constanti- 
nople, and  the  place  it  occupied  is  now  painted  in 
imitation.  No  doubt  in  other  ways,  also,  the  origi- 
nal ornamentation  of  the  main  body  of  the  mosque 
and  its  former  splendour  have  been  impaired.  Yet 
on  the  opposite  side,  in  a  room  beneath  the  tower, 
which  holds  the  tombs  of  Seljukian  sultans  and 
their  kinspeople,  has  been  preserved  some  of  the 
dark  blue  faience  characteristic  of  the  ornamenta- 
tion of  this  dynasty,  reflecting  beams  of  melan- 
choly beauty  as  in  approaching  twilight ;  and  so, 
too,  in  other  parts  of  the  mosque  appear,  though 
in  a  less  degree,  traces  of  that  mysterious  enchant- 
ment which  seems  inseparably  associated  with 
every  religious  structure  in  Asia. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  mosques  of  Konia, 
which  was  built  about  the  middle  of  the  thirteenth 
century,  or  shortly  after  the  death  of  Ala-ed-din, 
is  at  the  base  of  the  hill,  on  its  north-west  side. 


232  ASIA  MINOR 

It  is  called  the  Injeh  Minaret  Mosque,  meaning  the 
Mosque  of  the  Needle-shaped  Minaret,  on  account 
of  the  graceful  shaft  that  rose  from  the  courtyard 
two  and  a  half  times  the  height  of  the  dome.  The 
shaft  was  fluted,  and  was  covered  with  faience, 
which  was  broken  only  by  two  balconies  of  deli- 
cately carved  stone  supported  by  mouldings  of 
stalactite  ornamentation.  In  its  entirety,  this  was 
the  most  elegant  minaret  in  Konia  ;  but  unfortu- 
nately, about  thirty  years  ago,  a  bolt  of  lightning 
shattered  it  a  little  above  the  lower  balcony  ;  yet 
even  what  remains  has  a  certain  dignity  and  fasci- 
nation as  in  the  broken  trunk  of  some  aged  oak. 
In  every  respect  it  must  have  been  in  keeping  with 
the  imposing  sandstone  portal  whose  carving  re- 
presents Arabic  inscriptions,  intricate  arabesques 
and  foliate  motives  that  are  singularly  beautiful. 
The  interior  of  the  mosque  contains  a  stone  foun- 
tain, and  its  walls  are  still  covered  with  sufficient 
of  the  original  mosaic  work  and  faience  to  suggest 
the  solemn  religious  effect  their  soft  colours  must 
have  had  on  the  minds  of  the  assembled  Moham- 
medans as  they  reflected  the  light  of  Oriental 
lamps. 

A  medrissa  of  equal  interest  stands  near  the 
foot  of  the  hill  on  the  north  side.  It  also  was  built 
in  the  middle  of  the  thirteenth  century,  and  was 
named  the  Karadayi  medrissa  after  its  founder. 
Its  most  beautiful  feature  is  the  marble  portal 
leading  into  a  court  that  is  surrounded  on  three 
sides  by  the  rooms  of  the  preceptors  and  students 


KONIA  233 

and  on  the  fourth  side  by  a  small  mosque.  It  is 
about  thirty  feet  square  and  several  feet  thick. 
The  recessed  panelled  door  is  encased  by  fluted 
stone  jambs  and  lintel  surrounded  by  delicate 
carvings  ;  above  it  are  seven  rows  of  stalactite 
ornamentation  with  changing  patterns  in  each 
row  ;  and  above  these  is  a  large  pointed  arch  with 
a  pattern  of  small  interlacing  arches.  The  decora- 
tion of  other  parts  of  the  surrounding  fagade  is 
also  carefully  carved,  so  that  the  portal  as  a  whole 
is  one  of  the  finest  pieces  of  Seljukian  ornamenta- 
tion remaining  in  Konia.  Once  the  French  were  so 
impressed  with  its  beauty  that  they  made  several 
efforts  to  buy  and  remove  it  to  France  ;  but  all 
their  offers  were  rejected.  The  mosque  is  not 
without  interest.  It  is  surmounted  by  a  dome, 
with  some  beautiful  tiles  still  in  place,  and  con- 
tains a  depressed  basin  to  which  the  water  was 
conducted  along  the  stone  floor  in  a  groove,  with 
an  intricately  carved  Oriental  design  in  the  middle 
of  its  course.  The  inner  prayer  room,  which  is 
dimly  lighted,  has  a  border  of  blue  faience,  repre- 
senting a  pattern  so  similar  to  a  well-known 
pattern  of  old  Khorasan  rugs  as  to  suggest  that 
each  had  a  common  origin. 

There  is  something  alluring  in  the  simplicity  of 
the  court  of  this  medrissa,  despite  its  starthng 
contrast  with  the  refined  and  exquisite  carving  of 
the  portal.  Like  all  others,  it  is  surrounded  by  a 
number  of  rooms  with  little  windows,  and  with 
stumpy  chimneys  rising  above  the  flat  roof.    On 


234  ASIA  MINOR 

two  of  its  sides  a  covered  colonnade  of  simplest 
workmanship  extends  between  the  rooms  and  the 
open  centre,  where  some  young  apricot-trees  are 
beginning  to  shoot  out  their  branches,  and  a  wooden 
casement  rising  a  short  distance  above  the  ground 
denotes  the  existence  of  a  well.  In  the  Seljukian 
days  it  was  doubtless  paved  with  tiles  and  was  in 
keeping  with  its  important  surroundings  ;  now 
everywhere  appear  the  footprints  of  decay. 

A  medrissa  which  is  almost  as  interesting  as  the 
Karadayi,  and  was  built  about  the  same  time,  is 
the  SirtchaU.  It  is  situated  nearer  the  centre  of 
the  city,  a  short  distance  to  the  north-west  of  the 
Konak.  Some  of  the  carving  of  the  stone  fagade 
has  patterns  as  delicate  as  lacework.  The  door- 
way is  arched  with  parti-coloured  voussoirs  that 
interlock,  as  is  so  often  the  case  in  Saracenic  archi- 
tecture ;  and  above  it  rises  a  slightly  pointed  great 
outer  arch,  which  carries  a  repetitive  reciprocal 
design  such  as  may  be  found  over  and  over  again  in 
antique  rugs.  Each  of  the  adjacent  sides  of  the 
recess  of  the  portal  has  a  small  niche  with  an 
apex  of  stalactite  ornamentation.  At  the  time  the 
medrissa  was  built,  the  elaborate  condition  of  the 
inner  court  corresponded  with  the  majestic  ap- 
pearance of  the  portal :  part  of  it  was  paved  with 
mosaic  work  ;  the  walls  at  each  side  of  the  large 
chapel,  which  faced  the  entrance,  were  richly  orna- 
mented with  Arabic  letters  and  dainty  patterns  ; 
and  the  arch  of  the  chapel,  which  contains  a  prayer 
niche  at  the  enclosed  end,   was  tiled  with  blue 


KONIA  235 

faience.  It  is  not  difficult  to  imagine  a  mollah  of 
former  days  teaching  the  Koran  to  young  Moham- 
medans in  the  silence  of  its  recesses,  and  the  un- 
tamed, simple-minded  people  of  the  desert  gazing 
in  wonderment  at  its  beauty  as  if  enthralled  by  the 
enchantment  of  some  fetish.  But  now  it  is  a  scene 
of  decaying  splendour  :  the  covered  colonnade 
surrounding  the  court  is  sadly  dilapidated  ;  its 
centre  is  overgrown  with  weeds  ;  its  three  small 
apricot-trees  droop  as  if  in  sadness  ;  and  the  foun- 
tain is  replaced  by  a  well  over  which  stands  a 
rickety  windlass  made  of  the  undressed,  crooked 
trunks  of  slender  trees. 

Almost  a  mile  to  the  east  of  the  bazaar,  and  not 
far  from  a  gateway  in  the  old  walls,  another  Sel- 
jukian  mosque,  known  as  the  Sahib  Ata,  reposes 
in  decaying  splendour.  Its  principal  interest  lies 
in  the  portal,  which  is  surmounted  at  one  corner 
by  a  fluted  minaret  that  still  shows  the  pattern  of 
the  tiling.  The  doorway  is  a  four-centred  arch 
with  parti-coloured  voussoirs,  above  which  the 
usual  stalactite  ornamentation  is  arranged  in  four- 
teen carved  tiers  rising  in  pyramidal  shape.  Each 
side  of  the  fagade  has  two  niches  ranging  one  above 
the  other  and  carved  to  represent  smaller  portals. 
Between  these  niches  and  the  doorway  the  stone- 
work contains  a  large  amount  of  incised  lettering, 
so  that  the  facade  shows  not  alone  diversity  of 
colour,  but  a  pleasing  play  of  light  and  shadow 
constantly  shifting  with  the  movement  of  the  sun. 
A  court  fifty  feet  square,  now  forsaken  and  over- 


236  ASIA  MINOR 

grown  with  weeds,  separates  this  portal  from  the 
mosque  and  its  adjoining  turbeh.  Tihng  of  blue 
and  green  still  clings  to  parts  of  the  walls  of  the 
old  mosque  ;  and  on  one  of  the  floors  I  saw  two 
halves  of  a  large  Persian  carpet  probably  three 
hundred  years  old,  but  so  worn  that  the  colours 
and  patterns  were  hardly  discernible.  It  had  evi- 
dently been  considered  unfit  to  be  preserved,  and 
its  presence  only  emphasized  the  passing  glory  of 
these  once  splendid  examples  of  Turkish  architec- 
ture. 

Not  far  from  this  mosque  are  some  old  tekkes. 
They  were  once  the  resorts  of  dervishes,  but  long 
since  have  been  abandoned.  Even  in  their  decay, 
the  tiling  of  their  walls  and  domes,  and  the  grace- 
ful carving  of  their  hardwood  doors  are  fascinat- 
ingly interesting.  But  whatever  they  have  of 
inherent  beauty,  or  of  value  as  a  record  of  the  past, 
is  as  nothing  to  most  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  city, 
who  seemed  to  wonder  what  my  object  could  be 
in  stopping  to  examine  them.  Frequently  as  they 
stood  at  the  opened  wooden  gates  that  separated 
the  little  courts  of  their  dweUings  from  the  narrow 
streets,  it  was  possible,  without  intrusion,  to  catch 
a  glimpse  of  the  way  in  which  they  lived — an  exist- 
ence so  primitive  and  simple  that,  no  doubt,  it  is 
impossible  for  them  to  rise  to  any  just  appreciation 
of  the  accomplishments  of  their  ancestors. 

Each  of  these  medrissas  and  mosques  of  the 
Seljukian  days  has  a  fascination  that  never  wanes, 
yet  a  fascination  sometimes  tinged  with  gloom,  for 


KONIA  237 

with  their  dingy  courts  and  dusty  rooms,  their 
broken  tiles  and  crumbhng  walls,  they  seem  like 
mausoleums  even  when  they  contain  no  tombs. 
There  is  something  about  them  almost  depressing, 
as  if  in  their  presence  one  were  confronted  with 
the  sepulchre  of  past  greatness  as  irrevocably  dead 
as  mouldering  bones.  Yet  there  is  one  exception 
in  the  Tekke  of  the  Mevlevi  Dervishes,  or  the 
Cloister  of  the  Whirling  Dervishes,  an  order  founded 
by  the  great  Persian  mystic  Jelal-ed-din,  whom 
Ala-ed-din  invited  to  his  court  in  the  year  1233. 
It,  too,  has  sarcophagi  and  numerous  tombs,  but 
there  is  about  it  the  feeling  of  a  living  force  still 
animating  and  influencing  men. 

Again  and  again  I  visited  it,  always  walking  along 
the  street  that  leads  from  the  bazaar  in  a  north- 
westerly direction,  past  the  market  place  and  in- 
numerable small  shops.  I  entered,  by  a  low  archway , 
the  courtyard — the  most  beautiful  I  have  seen  in 
Asia  Minor,  and  the  more  beautiful  in  contrast  with 
the  quarter  I  had  left  behind  me.  Here  all  is  fresh 
and  bright.  I  remember  well  the  little  beds  of 
plants  and  bushes,  surrounded  by  stone  pavement. 
In  some,  daisies  were  growing,  and  yellow-faced 
pansies  ;  in  others  roses,  a  little  pine-tree  only 
four  feet  high,  and  the  never-absent  apricot-tree, 
so  much  beloved  by  the  Turks  because  of  its  dainty 
pink  blossoms.  A  marble  fountain  with  numerous 
faucets  near  its  base  stands  in  the  centre  of  the 
court,  beneath  a  beautiful  canopy  supported  by 
slender  columns.     The  sanctuary  where  the  der- 


238  ASIA  MINOR 

vishes  whirl  in  transports  of  ecstasy  is  directly 
opposite  the  entrance.  It  has  a  dome  and  lofty 
minaret,  while  the  turbeh  by  its  side  is  sur- 
mounted by  a  fluted  tower  terminating  in  a  cone, 
which  was  covered  with  old  blue  tiles  till  a  few 
years  ago,  when  the  Government  removed  and  re- 
placed them  with  modern  ones  of  green.  To  the 
right  of  the  entrance  is  a  building  where  many  of 
the  brotherhood  eat  and  live  ;  and,  close  by  its 
side,  the  reception  chamber  of  the  head  of  the 
order. 

The  sarcophagi  of  Mevlana  Jelal-ed-din  and  his 
distinguished  followers  are  in  the  main  hall  of  the 
turbeh.  A  stranger  is  never  permitted  to  enter  ; 
but,  as  I  was  allowed  to  stand  at  the  entrance  and 
look  within,  I  could  see  the  long  array  of  black 
tombs  like  mysterious  catafalques  decorated  in 
accordance  with  Mohammedan  custom,  and  sur- 
rounded with  candelabra  and  large  brass  candle- 
sticks. The  floor  was  completely  covered  with 
Oriental  rugs,  of  which  a  large  number  had  the 
Ghiordes  prayer  pattern.  One  which  was  removed 
so  that  I  might  examine  it  was  an  old  and  well- 
woven  piece  ;  but  I  was  told  that  it  was  poor  in 
comparison  with  a  rug  which  the  dervishes  re- 
garded as  of  great  age  and  priceless. 

Being  very  desirous  of  seeing  this  valuable  old 
rug,  I  went  one  day  with  a  gentleman  who  was 
acquainted  with  the  head  of  the  order.  As  we 
arrived  during  his  absence,  we  visited  the  apart- 
ments of  the  dervishes  while  awaiting  him.     In 


A>    A.xiK.NI      ii-.KI^K    Al     KuMA 


KONIA  239 

marked  contrast  to  the  disorder  and  dirt  that  pre- 
vail so  generally  throughout  Asia  Minor,  every- 
thing within  them  was  carefully  arranged  and 
spotlessly  clean.  A  long  deal  table,  where  the 
members  sat,  was  at  one  end  of  the  principal 
chamber,  which  served  both  for  kitchen  and 
dining-room;  a  large  fire-place  with  huge  brass 
cauldrons,  spits,  and  numerous  cooking  utensils 
was  at  the  other  end  ;  while  numerous  objects 
associated  with  past  history  were  hung  on  its  walls, 
so  that  in  its  entirety  it  looked  like  the  hall  of  some 
mediaeval  monastery. 

At  last  we  were  admitted  to  a  small  room  facing 
the  court,  and  presented  to  the  chief  of  the  Mevlevi 
dervishes.  Innumerable  objects  of  inestimable 
value,  the  gifts  to  the  order  from  wealthy  poten- 
tates for  several  centuries,  adorned  the  hall  across 
the  court  ;  yet  the  man  whose  word  was  a  power 
throughout  the  Moslem  world  was  occupying  as  a 
place  of  formal  reception  a  small  room  with  the 
floor  covered  with  a  few  wretched-looking  modern 
rugs,  with  the  walls  hung  with  cheap  European 
printed  cotton  fabrics,  and  was  squatting  on  a 
black  goatskin  which  only  partly  covered  a  low 
wooden  platform.  He  is  a  big,  fine-looking  man, 
with  geniality  appearing  in  every  expression  of  his 
face,  yet  with  the  dignity  born  of  the  conscious- 
ness of  his  position  at  the  head  of  his  order,  and  of 
his  inherited  right  at  the  coronation  of  a  new 
sultan  to  buckle  about  him  the  sword  of  state. 
He  is  referred  to  as  the  Chelcbi  Effendi,  or  the 


240  ASIA  MINOR 

"  debonair,"  a  term  that  seemed  justijSed  by  the 
courteous  reception  accorded  us.  Noting  my 
awkward  attempts  to  sit  Hke  an  Oriental  on  a  low 
divan  that  took  the  place  of  chairs,  he  requested 
with  a  pleasant  smile  that  I  should  dispose  myself 
in  whatever  way  would  be  the  most  comfortable, 
and  instructed  an  attendant  to  serve  us  with  coffee 
and  cigarettes. 

At  length,  after  inquiring  about  Europe  and 
America,  the  Chelebi  Effendi  directed  that  the  rug 
should  be  removed  from  the  vault  where  it  is  kept 
and  brought  to  the  doorway  of  the  turbeh,  since 
we  were  not  permitted  to  enter.  It  is  only  about 
six  feet  long,  with  a  breadth  of  four  and  a  half ; 
but  the  workmanship  is  of  the  highest  order.  The 
texture  is  remarkably  fine,  as  there  are  probably 
eight  hundred  knots  to  the  square  inch  ;  the  warp 
and  weft  are  of  silk,  and  the  pile  is  mostly  silk, 
but  in  a  few  places  is  of  wool.  The  field  is  a  golden 
brown,  modified  by  delicate  shades  of  pink,  blue, 
and  yellow,  as  well  as  threads  of  silver,  which 
display  a  glorious  wealth  of  sensitive  and  volup- 
tuous colour.  The  pattern  represents  a  well- 
balanced  border  of  escutcheons  surrounding  a 
field  of  lotus  designs  and  Chinese  cloud  bands, 
which  are  dominated  by  a  prayer  arch,  with  a 
woven  picture  of  the  Kaaba  beneath  the  niche. 
The  rug  in  a  measure  is  the  expression  of  the  imagi- 
nation and  feeling  of  the  individual  who  wove  it  ; 
but  it  is  also  the  manifestation  of  a  great  artistic 
spirit  that  for  centuries  pervaded  the  Orient.    No 


KONIA  341 

date  is  woven  in  it ;  but  many  of  its  characteristics 
would  suggest  a  probable  age  of  three  or  four  cen- 
turies, though  the  dervishes  declared  it  had  been 
in  their  possession  since  the  founding  of  the  order. 
The  ceremonies  of  the  Whirling  Dervishes  have 
been  observed  in  Konia  since  the  thirteenth  cen- 
tury, when,  it  is  said,  Mevlana  Jelal-ed-din  whirled 
to  the  accompaniment  of  a  flute  for  four  days 
without  eating,  so  that  here  they  are  probably 
more  in  accordance  with  the  early  rites  than  in 
any  other  part  of  the  Mohammedan  countries  ; 
and  here,  too,  they  have  an  unequalled  setting. 
From  the  domed  roof  above  the  principal  hall  of 
the  tekke  hangs  a  large  and  magnificent  chandelier 
of  crystals  surrounded  by  a  circle  of  thirty-two 
transparent  semi-globes,  which  in  turn  are  sur- 
rounded by  a  larger  circle  of  eighty-two  of  the 
same  kind.  These  semi-globes  look  as  though  at 
times  they  might  be  employed  as  shades  for 
candles,  which  collectively  would  be  capable  of 
imparting  a  magical  refulgence  ;  but  the  hall  is 
now  used  only  in  the  afternoon,  and  receives 
merely  the  dim  light  from  the  windows,  that  but 
poorly  illumines  it.  A  wide  opening  at  one  side  is 
hung  with  a  row  of  elegantly-wrought  brass  lamps, 
large  globes  that  reflect  like  mirrors,  and  several 
links  of  beautiful  alabaster,  cut  from  a  single  piece. 
It  leads  to  the  chamber  of  the  tombs,  which  con- 
tains another  exquisite  chandelier,  and  burnished 
brass  that  seems  to  gleam  with  golden  fires.  Over 
some    of    the    treasured    objects    dark     velvety 


242  ASIA  MINOR 

shadows  fall,  and  clothe  them  with  the  charm  of 
mystery  ;  about  all  hangs  a  spell  that  kindles  the 
imagination  with  suggestions  of  the  voluptuous 
splendours  of  the  Orient  ;  and  yet  there  prevails 
the  tranquillizing  spirit  of  silence,  serenity,  and 
great  age. 

On  the  day  we  went  to  see  the  dervishes,  a  large 
number  of  Moslems  gathered  before  the  tekke,  and 
for  an  hour  stood  eagerly  expectant  in  the  rain  ; 
but  finally,  when  the  doors  were  opened,  the  gen- 
darmes separated  the  crowd  to  permit  us,  who 
were  strangers,  to  enter  first.  We  were  obliged  to 
remove  our  shoes  at  the  outer  door,  and  stand  in 
stockinged  feet  on  the  cold  floor.  For  a  short  time 
it  seemed  as  if  a  feeling  of  awe  suppressed  every 
whisper  and  restrained  every  shuffling  foot  ;  but 
soon  ten  musicians  appeared,  and,  mounting  a 
stage  within  a  small  enclosure  at  one  end  of  the 
hall,  broke  the  silence  with  the  music  of  small 
drums,  a  fife,  and  a  tambourine,  uniting  in  a  weird 
Eastern  rhythm  ;  while  the  voices  of  two  or  three 
singers,  one  of  whom  was  a  good  tenor,  rose  in  clear 
liquid  notes  of  pathos.  The  Chelebi  Effendi,  with 
the  august  movement  of  a  prince  of  Asia,  entered 
at  the  head  of  a  solemn  procession  of  twenty-five 
dervishes,  and  took  up  a  position  in  front  of  the 
musicians  ;  while  five  elders  ranged  themselves  by 
his  side. 

After  the  beating  of  drums  and  a  barbaric 
chant  that  had  all  the  plaintiveness  of  a  dirge, 
nineteen  dervishes,  some  still  with  the  flush  of 


KONIA  243 

youth,  others  with  wan,  ascetic  faces,  marched 
with  funereal  tread  several  times  about  the  room, 
paying  homage,  as  they  had  done  at  Smyrna, 
before  the  tombs  of  their  departed  chiefs,  before 
the  Chelebi  and  before  each  elder.  Then  sepa- 
rating they  turned,  at  first  slowly,  with  a  look  of 
vacancy  in  their  eyes,  as  if  their  minds  were  sunk 
in  profound  repose.  But  soon  they  turned  faster 
and  faster  until  they  whirled  like  spinning  tops, 
passing  and  repassing  one  another  in  their  revolu- 
tions but  never  colliding  ;  while  through  their 
midst  ghded  an  old  past-master,  keenly  watching 
every  movement,  and  stamping  disapproval,  first 
at  one,  then  another.  Each  had  sombre-looking 
garments  except  one  with  a  white  fluted  skirt,  who 
moved  with  almost  the  grace  of  a  woman.  Yet 
even  he  failed  to  escape  the  censure  of  their  pre- 
ceptor. But  soon  they  appeared  to  pass  beyond 
the  realm  of  communion  into  an  abstraction  lead- 
ing to  complete  ecstasy. 

The  day  without  was  shortened  by  the  heavy 
clouds  that  covered  the  sky ;  the  light  within  grew 
dimmer,  till  at  length  the  dervishes  seemed  like 
shadows  from  some  other  world  flitting  across 
the  floor ;  but  the  elders  and  the  Chelebi  sat 
motionless  and  in  perfect  silence  like  those  in 
reverie,  seemingly  only  partly  conscious  of  the 
fading  splendour  of  the  hall,  the  weird  music,  the 
phantom  forms  ;  and  as  if  their  own  minds  and 
wills  were  completely  dominated  by  those  forces 
that  were  symbolized  before  them. 

In  the  days  when  the  kingdom  of  Roum  was  at 


244  ASIA  MINOR 

the  height  of  its  greatness,  Konia  must  have  pre- 
sented many  scenes  of  splendour  in  the  ceremonials 
of  its  mosques  and  palaces.  It  was  a  city  of  culture. 
It  was  also  a  seat  of  power  connected  by  important 
highways,  which  radiated  to  other  cities,  and 
which,  wherever  necessary,  were  provided  with 
khans  for  the  convenience  and  protection  of 
travellers  and  their  merchandise.  One  of  these 
khans,  which  well  illustrates  the  artistic  as  well 
as  the  progressive  spirit  of  that  time,  was  erected 
at  the  present  village  of  Sultan  Khan,  on  the  old 
caravan  road  leading  to  Kaisariyeh,  and  near  the 
southern  end  of  Lake  Tuz  Geul.  It  was  one  of  the 
most  beautiful  in  Asia  Minor.  Though  completed 
as  long  ago  as  the  year  1276,  as  is  shown  by  an 
inscription  on  the  portal,  it  still  possesses  some  of 
the  elaborate  Seljukian  ornamentation  of  that 
period.  Formerly  it  covered  about  an  acre  and 
a  half  of  land,  and  consisted  of  two  parts  :  the 
inner,  which  was  probably  reserved  for  storing 
merchandise ;  and  the  outer,  where  dwelling- 
rooms  were  arranged  about  a  court  containing  at 
its  centre  a  beautiful  little  marble  mosque.  Most 
of  it  has  been  destroyed  ;  but  the  portal,  which 
rises  to  a  height  of  forty  feet,  is  almost  intact. 
Some  of  the  fagade  has  coloured  marble  carved 
with  exquisite  delicacy  ;  and  the  stalactite  orna- 
mentation is  exceedingly  beautiful.  But  like  the 
palace  of  Ala-ed-din  and  the  mosques,  turbehs,  and 
medrissas  which  he  and  his  successors  built,  it  is 
yielding  to  irredeemable  decay. 


KONIA  245 

It  is  difficult  to  tell  what  is  the  charm  of  these 
various  ruins  of  Asia  that  once  throbbed  with  the 
pulse  of  Oriental  life  :  the  tread  of  wariike  princes, 
the  voices  of  fair  women,  the  words  of  men 
of  wisdom,  but  now  slumber  in  a  desolation  only 
broken  by  the  occasional  presence  of  a  stranger. 
Yet  it  is  a  charm  that  does  not  fade  but  grows 
with  more  intimate  acquaintance.  And  it  is  felt 
not  alone  in  the  mystery  of  the  rose-coloured  dawn 
or  purple  twilight,  but  even  in  the  clear  sunshine 
of  the  noon  hour,  when  all  appears  in  the  definite- 
ness  of  palpable  reality. 

To  take  a  last  look  at  Konia  before  leaving,  I 
climbed  one  of  the  minarets  of  the  large  Azizieh 
mosque,  which  was  built  about  fifty  years  ago, 
and  named  after  the  Sultan  Abdul  Aziz.  It  is  the 
only  mosque  of  Konia  with  two  minarets  ;  and 
they  are  unlike  any  others,  for  above  each  balcony 
eight  slender  columns  rise  and  support  a  graceful 
cupola.  They  are  also  so  high,  and  their  wedge- 
like steps,  which  wind  like  the  threads  of  a  screw, 
so  narrow,  that  in  climbing  I  felt  the  strain  on 
unused  muscles,  and  more  than  once  paused  for 
breath.  A  pigeon's  nest  resting  on  a  projecting 
stone  at  the  very  top  contained  an  egg  which  sug- 
gested the  muezzin  had  neglected  this  minaret 
when  he  called  to  prayer.  Often  before,  I  had 
pitied  him  as  I  thought  of  his  climbing  the  dark 
musty  stairway  regularly  five  times  each  day ; 
but,  as  I  looked  out  over  the  city  and  the  great 
stretches  of  country  beyond,  I  almost  envied  him. 


246  ASIA  MINOR 

Dull  noises  drifted  from  the  market  place  just 
below,  where  I  could  clearly  distinguish  people  of 
different  races  and  classes  moving  and  lounging  as 
they  bargained  and  chatted,  and  even  gazed  at 
one  another  purely  from  curiosity.  On  the  side 
opposite,  I  could  see  the  covered  bazaar,  rows  of 
low-roofed  houses,  and  narrow  streets  that  lead  to 
one  much  broader,  along  which  ungainly  camels 
were  slowly  marching  towards  the  desert.  I  could 
see  at  the  end  of  one  of  the  avenues  that  extended 
from  the  bazaar  the  minaret  of  the  tekke  of  the 
Mevlevi  dervishes,  and  its  cone-like  tower  with 
crescent,  radiating  light  of  glittering  gold.  Be- 
yond a  low  wall  of  dull  earth  I  noticed  a  little 
mosque  which  seemed  to  sleep  in  the  shadows  of 
dark  cypresses.  On  the  outskirts  of  the  city  lay  a 
place  of  the  dead,  marked  with  stones  ;  farther 
away  were  fields  of  grain  and  orchards,  divided  here 
and  there  by  feathery  poplars ;  and,  still  beyond, 
encircling  mountains,  some  of  which  lifted  heads 
that  were  covered  with  snow.  Across  the  sky 
drifted  great  black  April  clouds,  leaving  patches 
of  deep  blue,  the  blue  that  follows  a  rain  ;  and 
through  them  the  sun  shone  obliquely,  dividing  the 
landscape  into  contrasting  areas  of  light  and 
shadow,  and  touching  the  domes  of  the  mosques 
with  a  magic  splendour  that  is  part  of  the  Orient. 


THE-<^TERIOR    OK    THK    DOMIC    Ol'    AN    ANCIKN|-    IKKKK    Al'    KONIA 


CHAPTER  XI 

TO  THE  EAST  OF  KONIA  :     KARAMAN,   THE  ROAD  TO 
BAGDAD,    NIGDEH,    KAISARIYEH 

FROM  Konia  to  Karaman,  a  distance  of 
about  sixty-five  miles,  the  railway  winds 
along  the  northern  foothills  of  the  Taurus 
range.  At  first  it  passes  in  a  south-easterly 
direction  over  loamy  land  that  is  almost  a  level  plain ; 
then  it  crosses  land  where  limestone  appears  near 
the  surface,  though  the  soil  is  red ;  and  finally  it  ex- 
tends for  a  short  distance  to  the  east  between  peaks 
of  volcanic  trachyte.  Some  of  the  country  re- 
sembles the  great  cattle  ranges  that  not  long  ago 
spread  over  the  south-western  part  of  the  United 
States,  except  that  here  are  few  cattle.  Flocks 
of  sheep,  guarded  by  dogs  almost  white,  and  a 
few  small  bands  of  poor-looking  horses  roam  over 
the  land.  The  population  is  comparatively  sparse  ; 
most  of  the  stations  have  only  a  few  houses  ;  at 
long  distances  appears  a  village  of  one  or  two 
hundred  flat-roofed  huts  built  of  stone  or  more 
frequently  of  sun-dried  bricks  ;  and  in  other  places 
the  only  sign  of  habitation  are  the  black  tents  or 
wretched  hovels  of  Yuruks. 

In  this  part  of  Asia  Minor  civilization  is  more 

247 


248  ASIA  MINOR 

primitive  than  among  the  rich  valleys  on  the  shore 
of  the  ^gean  Sea.  The  roads  are  provided  with 
only  a  few  stone  fountains  for  the  caravans  and  the 
solitary  travellers  ;  instead  there  are  wells,  from 
which  the  water  is  drawn  in  buckets  attached  to 
the  cross-arms  of  long  poles.  Here  the  dead  are 
not  placed  in  cemeteries,  beneath  carved  marble 
shafts  and  under  the  shade  of  lofty  cypresses  ; 
they  are  buried  in  small  areas  that  are  unpro- 
tected by  walls,  and  that  are  devoid  of  all  orna- 
mentation except  crudely-cut  headstones,  which 
incline  in  every  direction.  Many  of  the  houses  are 
merely  rude  huts  of  sun-dried  bricks,  hardly  dis- 
tinguishable at  a  distance  from  the  ground.  Some 
of  the  men  are  Turks  ;  others  are  of  pure  Tartar 
or  Mongolian  type,  with  almond-shaped  eyes  and 
the  air  of  the  far  East.  A  few  are  well  dressed 
and  have  fair  complexions  ;  but  most  of  them  are 
unkempt,  and  have  their  hair  and  beards  dyed 
with  henna.  Camels  are  more  numerous  here  than 
near  the  western  coast,  for  their  ability  to  cross 
the  desert  without  water  makes  them  superior  to 
other  animals  as  beasts  of  burden  ;  and  their  cost 
— from  fifteen  to  twenty-five  pounds — does  not 
greatly  exceed  that  of  a  good  horse.  Sometimes 
a  herd  of  as  many  as  one  or  two  hundred  may  be 
seen  browsing  on  the  shrivelled  grass  of  countless 
hummocks. 

Most  of  the  soil  is  poor  ;  to  the  east  and  north- 
east, where  the  desert  stretches,  it  is  alkaline,  and 
during  part  of  the  year  a  large  area  is  like  a  swamp 


TO  THE  EAST  OF  KONIA  249 

encrusted  with  salt.  On  the  other  hand,  the  soil 
of  the  higher  land  skirting  the  mountains  is  fertile, 
and  requires  only  water  and  cultivation  to  make 
it  productive.  To  compensate  for  the  slight  annual 
precipitation,  a  German  company  has  been  con- 
structing an  important  irrigation  system  to  bring 
water  from  Lake  Beyshehr,  which  lies  farther  to 
the  west.  The  main  ditch  is  nearly  fifty  feet  wide, 
and  has  carefully  constructed  locks  connecting 
with  laterals  that  already  cover  a  large  area  with 
a  network  of  ditches.  Though  natives  still  scratch 
the  land  with  the  wooden  ploughs  so  generally  used 
throughout  Asia  Minor,  modern  ploughs,  culti- 
vators, and  harrows  are  now  for  sale  in  Konia,  and 
are  being  slowly  introduced  throughout  this  irri- 
gated district.  Desirable  as  are  these  improve- 
ments, they  seem  a  little  strange  when  one  re- 
collects that  it  was  over  this  same  ground  that 
Xenophon  and  Cyrus  the  Younger  marched,  as 
well  as  the  army  of  Frederic  Barbarossa  in  much 
later  centuries.  Paul,  too,  followed  the  same  road, 
with  Barnabas  ;  they  healed  the  cripple  in  the  city 
of  Lystra,  among  the  hills  to  the  west ;  and  when 
driven  from  Konia  they  fled  to  Derbe,  which  lay 
a  little  farther  to  the  south.  It  was  also  in 
one  or  the  other  of  these  cities  that  Timothy  was 
bom. 

The  city  of  Karaman  is  on  the  site  of  the  ancient 
Laranda,  which  existed  several  centuries  before  the 
Christian  era,  though  little  is  known  of  its  early 
history  but  the  fact  that  it  was  one  of  the  strong- 


250  ASIA  MINOR 

holds  of  the  Isaurian  robbers  who  inhabited  the ' 
Taurus  mountains.  After  the  overthrow  of  the 
Seljukian  kingdom  of  Roum,  it  was  the  capital  of  an 
independent  emir  until,  in  the  fifteenth  century,  it 
was  included  in  the  dominion  of  the  Ottoman 
Turks.  The  present  city,  situated  about  half  a  mile 
from  the  station,  has  a  population  not  exceeding  six 
thousand  people,  who  are  almost  entirely  Turks. 
There  is  only  one  important  street,  which  contains 
a  few  shops,  a  bazaar,  and  a  market  place.  Most 
of  the  houses  are  one  story  high,  and  have  walls  of 
sun-dried  bricks.  Their  roofs  are  made  by  laying 
poles  four  or  five  inches  in  diameter  from  wall  to 
wall,  crossing  the  poles  transversely  with  a  layer 
of  reeds  from  several  inches  to  a  foot  in  thickness, 
and  finishing  with  a  covering  of  several  inches  of 
earth.  In  many  instances,  stones,  weighing  from 
five  to  ten  pounds,  are  added  for  weight  ;  while  a 
pole,  with  its  upper  side  partly  gouged  like  a 
trough,  is  usually  attached  beneath  the  earth  to 
carry  off  the  rain. 

Before  leaving  Konia,  I  unfortunately  declined 
the  offer  of  a  Turkish  captain  of  gendarmes  of  a 
letter  of  introduction  to  the  officers  of  Karaman, 
believing  it  was  unnecessary  and  that  official 
attentions  might  hamper  the  freedom  of  my  move- 
ments ;  but,  had  I  taken  it,  I  should  have  been 
spared  much  inconvenience.  In  this  remote  corner 
of  Asia  Minor,  where  a  European  is  rarely  seen,  I 
found  I  was  at  once  an  object  of  both  curiosity 
^  and  suspicion.    Women  fled  from  me ;  while  men 


'o. 


TO  THE  EAST  OF  KONIA  251 

gathered  in  the  street  to  scrutinize  me.  Evidently 
they  wished  to  know  whence  I  came  and  what  I 
wanted  ;  but  when  I  uttered  the  words  "  mosque  " 
and  "  medrissa,"  their  rephes  were  as  unfamihar 
to  me  as  ancient  Sanskrit.  Wandering  about,  I 
attempted  to  make  the  acquaintance  of  a  dyer  with 
hands  stained  an  indigo,  a  plasterer  covering  the 
walls  of  a  small  dwelling  with  mud,  three  boys 
playing  knuckle-bones  with  the  coloured  vertebrae 
of  sheep,  and  another  practising  with  a  shng-shot  ; 
yet  I  found  no  one  who  could  unxierstand  a  word  I 
uttered. 

At  last,  having  aroused  the  suspicion  of  a  gen- 
darme, I  was  taken  to  the  pohce  station,  passed 
from  one  officer  to  another,  and  finally  escorted  to 
the  upper  floor,  where  I  was  ushered  into  the  room 
of  one  who  appeared  to  be  the  mayor  of  the  city. 
He  inquired  about  my  nationality  and  occupation, 
as  well  as  the  object  of  my  visit,  and  seemed  in- 
credulous when  I  assured  him  my  presence  was 
due  purely  to  a  desire  to  see  the  ruins  for  which 
his  city  was  noted.  At  length,  after  examining  my 
passport  and  satisfying  himself  that  however 
suspicious  looking  I  was  harmless,  he  stated  I  was 
at  liberty  to  depart,  and  summoning  the  gendarme 
instructed  him  to  show  me  the  places  of  historic 
interest. 

Escorted  through  the  city  by  the  officer  on  one 
side  and  by  a  Turk  who  had  a  shght  knowledge  of 
French  on  the  other,  I  attracted  as  much  atten- 
tion as  if  handcuffed.    The  first  object  visited  was 


252  ASIAJMINOR 

the  tekke  of  the  Mevlevi  dervishes.  The  head  of 
the  order  was  sent  for,  and  soon  appeared  wearing 
a  coat  that  extended  below  his  knees  and  a  high 
cone-shaped  hat.  He  carried  an  enormous  iron 
key  as  if  to  offer  the  freedom  of  the  city.  In  tens 
of  thousands  he  would  have  been  conspicuous  by 
his  huge  girth,  exceeding  portliness,  and  great 
dignity,  so  I  was  not  surprised  when  the  Turk 
whispered  it  was  proper  I  should  formally  salute 
him.  This  I  did  with  due  solemnity  and  received 
a  corresponding  salute  ;  we  then  shook  hands  ; 
the  great  iron  key  was  thrust  into  the  lock,  and 
the  door  of  the  tekke  was  opened. 

The  interior  of  the  tekke,  where  the  ceremonies 
occur,  is  now  only  a  gloomy  hall  almost  devoid  of 
ornamentation,  and  with  scarcely  an  object  of  in- 
terest. Only  in  its  associations  could  it  have  any 
attraction  for  the  members  of  the  order.  The  ad- 
jacent court,  on  the  other  hand,  which  is  faced  on 
two  sides  by  the  rooms  of  a  medrissa,  is  much  more 
pleasing.  It  is  one  of  those  places  that  melt  the 
cold  conventionalities  of  civilization,  and  in  their 
place  foster  the  frank  simpHcity  of  nature.  For  a 
short  time  I  sat  alone  on  a  bench  in  one  comer, 
almost  forgetful  of  the  fact  that  Karaman  is  in  a 
remote  part  of  Asia  Minor  where  not  a  single 
European  lives,  enjoying  to  the  fullest  the  tran- 
quil beauty  of  a  spot  so  completely  shut  in  by 
walls  and  buildings  from  the  rest  of  the  world.  I 
remember  that  the  ground  was  almost  completely 
covered   with   a   lawn   of  clover   sprinkled   with 


THE    COURTYARD    OF    THE    SIRTOHALI    MEDRISSA    AT    KOMA 


THK   COWKTYARD   OK   THE   TEKKE   OF   THE    iMEVLEVI    DERVISHES   AT    KONIA 


TO  THE  EAST  OF   KONIA  253 

dandelions  ;  that  at  the  centre  a  fountain  rose  a 
short  distance  above  a  large  rectangular  stone 
basin,  which  was  full  of  water  clear  as  crystal, 
though  its  surface  was  slightly  mottled  by  the 
faint  shadows  cast  by  the  leaves  of  a  large  apricot- 
tree.  On  the  side  opposite  the  entrance,  a  grape 
vine,  whose  russet  shoots  were  nearly  hidden  by 
fresh  leaves,  was  climbing  over  a  trellis  ;  and 
behind  it  rose-bushes  clustered  as  in  a  hedge.  Not 
a  leaf  or  flower  moved  ;  even  the  air  radiating  the 
warm  sunshine  was  hushed  as  at  the  quiet  hour  of 
a  sultry  noon.  It  is  no  wonder  that  in  the  peaceful 
atmosphere  of  such  medrissas,  from  which  is  ex- 
cluded anything  that  might  jar  the  senses,  the 
dervishes,  heedless  of  the  flight  of  time,  linger  in 
silent  contemplation. 

The  Hatunie  medrissa,  which  is  a  little  to  the 
west  of  the  heart  of  the  city,  has  been  considered 
one  of  the  most  beautiful  in  Asia  Minor.  It  was 
built  during  the  latter  part  of  the  fourteenth 
century  by  the  Emir  of  Karaman,  and  is  now 
largely  in  ruins.  The  entrance  of  the  high  portal 
is  arched  with  parti-coloured  interlacing  voussoirs 
and  ornamented  with  Saracenic  carving.  Above 
the  arch  rise  fifteen  tiers  of  marble  stalactite  work, 
which  in  spite  of  the  racking  of  earthquakes  have 
still  an  uncommon  charm  in  their  beautiful  play 
of  light  and  shadow  and  their  modulations  of 
colour.  A  small  court  partly  surrounded  by 
dwelling-rooms  separates  the  portal  from  an  arched 
chapel,  whose  open  front  faces  the  entrance.     At 


254  ASIA  MINOR 

the  farther  end  of  the  chapel  a  small  niche  is  cut 
in  the  wall  so  as  to  be  orientated  towards  Mecca. 
Though  it  is  the  object  towards  which  the  eyes  of 
all  worshippers  were  directed,  it  is  without  orna- 
ment or  grace  ;  it  was  merely  a  symbol  for  what 
was  most  sacred  to  their  minds. 

Half  a  mile  to  the  west  of  the  city,  a  castle,  with 
well-preserved  walls,  rises  above  a  dome-like  hill 
covering  about  ten  acres  of  land.  It  probably  was 
built  by  the  Emirs,  though  part  of  it  looks  as  if  it 
belonged  to  a  still  more  remote  period.  On  all 
sides  it  is  surrounded  by  low,  fiat  houses  with  roofs 
covered  with  earth,  and  with  walls  partly  of  stone, 
partly  of  sun-dried  bricks,  whose  monotony  is 
broken  only  by  a  few  windows,  which  contain 
small  panes  of  glass  or  are  covered  with  lattice 
work.  Most  of  the  houses  are  clustered  closely 
together,  while  the  intervening  spaces  are  en- 
closed by  high  walls,  so  that  at  first  I  had  diffi- 
culty in  linding  my  way  among  them.  Near  one 
of  the  doors  I  saw  a  most  primitive  cart  consisting 
principally  of  a  V-shaped  rack  supported  by  two 
wooden  wheels  ;  in  an  open  space  before  the  castle 
I  found  a  stone  mortar  for  crushing  wheat,  like  the 
one  at  Gonjeli.  The  men  were  undoubtedly  at 
work  in  the  field  below,  from  which  drifted  the 
smell  of  new-mown  hay  ;  as  I  climbed  a  road 
filthy  with  refuse,  the  women  fled  and  peeked 
through  the  lattice  of  the  windows  or  the  cracks 
of  the  almost  closed  doors.  In  my  efforts  to  dis- 
cover the  way  to  the  top  of  the  hill,  I  trespassed 


TO  THE  EAST  OF  KONIA  255 

on  ground  covered  with  dried  bones  that  several 
big  dogs  regarded  as  their  sacred  preserve,  and 
was  compelled  to  retreat.  Not  knowing  which 
way  to  turn,  I  called  to  a  woman,  but  she  fled  pre- 
cipitately. 

Turkish  women  grow  more  bashful,  if  not  more 
modest,  in  the  ratio  of  their  distance  from  civiliza- 
tion. In  Constantinople,  some  of  the  women  of 
the  higher  class  now  walk  the  streets  unveiled  ; 
and  I  was  told  this  innovation  is  beginning  to  meet 
with  the  favour  of  many  of  the  men,  partly  because 
when  veiled,  a  woman,  if  so  inclined,  can  meet  a 
lover  in  the  street  or  at  a  bazaar  and  remain  un- 
known to  all  others,  even  her  own  husband.  In 
small  cities  near  the  western  coast  of  Asia  Minor, 
they  cover  all  of  their  head  but  a  small  space, 
through  which  peers  one  eye,  which  is  often  beauti- 
ful, dark,  lustrous  and  full  of  fire.  In  remote  parts 
of  Asia  Minor  some  of  them  turn  their  heads  at 
the  sight  of  a  man,  and  hurry  away.  At  times  I 
was  somewhat  perplexed  to  know  what  course  to 
pursue  because  of  this  peculiar  attitude  of  the 
women.  Once,  while  descending  a  steep  street  on 
the  side  of  Mt.  Pagus  in  Smyrna,  I  passed  a  Turkish 
woman  who  slipped  and,  as  she  fell,  dropped  a 
small  clay  pitcher.  I  hastened  to  lend  assistance, 
when  realizing  she  would  probably  fear  my  touch 
as  the  forerunner  of  a  plague  and  might  have  me 
imprisoned  for  my  trouble,  I  limited  my  chival- 
rous impulses  to  picking  up  the  pitcher.  Perhaps 
even  this  attention  was  more  than  she  wished,  for, 


256  ASIA  MINOR 

on  the  other  side,  a  Turk  passed  within  a  yard,  yet 
gave  her  only  a  careless  glance. 

When  at  last  I  had  found  the  way  between  the 
maze  of  houses  and  through  water-coursed  lanes 
to  the  old  castle  on  the  hill  of  Karaman,  I  walked 
completely  around  it,  looking  for  some  entrance, 
but  could  find  only  a  small  hole  ten  or  a  dozen  feet 
above  the  ground,  just  large  enough  to  admit  a 
man.  Climbing  a  path  such  as  a  goat  might  love, 
I  passed  into  a  court  covering  about  an  acre  of 
ground,  and  surrounded  by  high  walls  of  un- 
dressed stones  interlarded  here  and  there  with 
fragments  of  carved  marble,  which  may  be  the 
surviving  witnesses  of  the  earlier  days  of  Laranda. 
The  dark  grey  walls  looked  grim  and  almost  threat- 
ening. A  narrow  stone  stairway  leading  to  their 
summit  is  so  worn  that  the  ascent  is  hazardous. 
When  I  had  gained  the  top  and  reached  a  tower 
that  rises  at  one  corner  about  fifty  feet  above  the 
ground,  I  could  see  over  a  broad  expanse,  for  the 
castle  is  in  the  centre  of  a  great  plain  about  ten 
miles  wide  from  north  to  south  and  much  longer 
from  east  to  west.  Among  the  huts  below,  women 
were  beginning  to  appear  in  the  open  air.  One, 
dressed  in  bright  garments,  stepped  from  the  door 
of  her  house  and,  climbing  a  rickety  flight  of  stairs 
to  the  flat  roof,  walked  slowly  across  it,  gazing  in- 
tently in  the  direction  of  a  cypress-marked  ceme- 
tery. The  fields  near  the  foot  of  the  hill,  where 
the  houses  are  scattered,  were  yellow  with  mustard. 
Farther   away   there   were   ruined    walls    where 


TO  THE  EAST  OF  KONIA  257 

numerous  storks  had  built  their  nests,  and  through- 
out all  parts  of  the  city  were  long  lines  of  poplars, 
here  straight  as  arrows,  there  quivering  like  reeds  in 
sudden  gusts,  but  only  a  few  domes  and  shaft-like 
minarets.  To  the  south,  a  lofty  range  covered 
with  snow  spread  in  a  semicircle  ;  while  north- 
ward, past  a  low  line  of  mountains,  stretched  the 
great  silent  desert,  shrouded  in  mystery. 

Again  and  again  these  walls  have  doubtless 
echoed  the  din  of  battle  ;  the  dungeon  of  the  tower 
has  probably  been  the  scene  of  terrible  deeds.  De- 
scending, I  began  to  examine  some  of  the  dark 
recesses,  mouldy,  and  exhaling  the  damp  smell 
that  rises  from  places  where  the  sun  never  intrudes. 
But  my  mind  was  diverted  by  the  unexpected 
presence  in  the  court,  midway  between  me  and 
the  only  place  of  exit,  of  a  dark-faced,  sullen- 
looking  Turk,  who  with  partially  closed  eyes  was 
furtively  watching  every  movement  I  made. 
Possibly  he  meditated  no  evil ;  but  remembering 
repeated  warnings,  not  enjoying  the  menacing  ex- 
pression of  his  face,  and  not  knowing  what  his 
broad  sash  might  contain,  while  I  was  quite  un- 
armed, I  withdrew  without  questioning  his  motives 
and  surrendered  to  him  the  possession  of  the  castle. 

At  one  side,  near  the  base  of  the  hill,  I  met  a 
number  of  girls  and  women  dressed  in  red  and 
yellow,  and  about  a  dozen  boys.  Some  of  the  girls 
smiled  as  they  hurried  away  ;  but  one  with  greater 
imagination  threw  up  her  arms  as  if  she  had  seen 
the  incarnation  of  evil,  and  shouted  frantically. 


258  ASIA  MINOR 

Thereupon  the  other  girls  screamed  ;  women  who 
had  been  watching  fled  ;  and  the  boys  began  to 
jeer  and  throw  stones.  To  divert  the  boys'  atten- 
tion I  tossed  them  a  penny,  for  which  there  was  a 
scramble  and  general  fight,  lasting  until  the  biggest 
boy  had  robbed  a  smaller  boy  of  the  coin  he  had 
secured,  and  giving  me  the  opportunity  to  get  to  a 
safe  distance.  Turning  a  corner  a  dozen  rods  away, 
I  met  three  nomad  women,  who  neither  retreated 
nor  covered  their  faces.  One  of  them  was  carrying 
beneath  her  left  arm  a  quantity  of  coarse  white 
wool,  the  product  of  mountain  sheep,  and  in  her 
right  hand  a  spindle  consisting  of  two  pieces  of 
carved  hardwood  of  equal  length  and  part  of  a 
slender  branch  of  a  bush  which  was  thrust  through 
a  small  round  hole  at  their  intersection  and  per- 
pendicular to  them.  She  was  spinning  as  she  ap- 
proached, and  constantly  adding  to  the  length  of 
the  crudely-spun  yarn,  which  was  wound  about 
the  spindle.  Deciding  if  possible  to  buy  it,  but 
being  unable  to  ask  what  she  would  accept  in  ex- 
change, I  drew  from  my  pocket  a  number  of  small 
silver  coins,  and  indicating  with  my  fingers  that  I 
wished  her  to  cut  the  yarn,  I  offered  as  a  prelimi- 
nary bid  a  Turkish  coin,  the  equivalent  of  about 
half  a  shilling.  To  my  surprise  she  quickly  drew 
a  knife,  and  cutting  the  yarn  handed  me  the 
spindle.  It  is  one  of  my  most  interesting  souvenirs 
of  Asia  Minor,  for  it  is  the  same  simple  device  that 
many  of  the  nomad  spinners  have  used  for  genera- 
tion after  generation  ;    yet  hardly  had  I  gone  a 


TO  THE  EAST  OF  KONIA  259 

few  rods  when  there  arose  shrieks  of  laughter,  as 
the  women  expressed  their  idea  of  the  folly  of  my 
extravagance. 

Some  of  the  contrivances  in  Asia  Minor  for 
lessening  the  burden  of  drawing  water  from  deep 
wells  are  not  only  elaborate,  but  so  peculiar  that 
they  apparently  follow  a  prototype  of  some  remote 
past.  There  is  one  where  the  road  from  the  station 
meets  the  principal  street  of  Karaman.  Heavy, 
well-braced  posts,  ten  feet  high,  and  standing 
twenty  feet  apart,  on  opposite  sides  of  the  well, 
carry  between  them  a  roughly-hewn  horizontal 
beam  about  ten  inches  in  diameter.  Another  beam 
with  an  iron  pivot  at  each  end  revolves  perpen- 
dicularly between  this  horizontal  beam  and  a  stone 
slab  planted  in  the  ground.  At  its  upper  end  it 
has  a  large  drum,  wound  with  a  rope,  which,  pass- 
ing over  a  pulley,  is  attached  to  the  bucket ;  and 
at  its  lower  end  it  has  a  long  wooden  arm,  which 
affords  sufficient  leverage  for  even  children  to  make 
the  drum  revolve,  and  so  raise  the  filled  bucket  as 
they  walk  around  the  well .  Here  the  young  women 
draw  water  for  their  homes  ;  and  the  camel  drivers 
pause  with  their  beasts  as  they  come  and  go,  and 
sometimes  loiter  to  glance  at  the  veiled,  slender 
forms,  just  as  they  have  doubtless  done  since  the 
patriarchal  days. 

Beyond  Karaman  the  railway  follows  along  the 
north-western  side  of  the  Taurus  range  to  its 
present  terminus,  a  short  distance  beyond  Eregli, 
which  is  an  old  but  unimportant  town.     In  the 


26o  ASIA  MINOR 

near  future  it  is  to  be  continued  through  the 
Taurus  range  to  the  River  Tigris,  and  thence  by 
Bagdad  to  Bassora,  on  the  Persian  Gulf.  It  will 
go  near  the  Cihcian  Gates,  famed  for  their  gran- 
deur ;  pass  not  far  from  Taurus,  on  the  banks  of 
the  Cyndnus,  where  the  apostle  Paul  was  born  ; 
cross  the  Euphrates  near  Carchemish,  the  most 
southerly  of  the  ancient  capitals  of  the  Hittites  ; 
and  enter  Mosul,  opposite  Nineveh,  on  the  bank 
of  the  Tigris.  In  fact,  it  is  to  follow  to  a  large  ex- 
tent the  great  military  road  along  which  Xerxes, 
Cyrus,  Alexander  the  Great,  and  other  rulers  of 
the  East  once  led  their  armies. 

An  old  araba  road  from  Karaman  also  extends 
in  a  north-easterly  direction  to  Eregli,  and  thence 
to  Kaisariyeh,  along  the  western  flank  of  the 
Taurus  and  the  Anti-Taurus  mountains.  It  passes 
not  far  from  the  village  of  Ivriz,  in  a  beautiful 
gorge  containing  a  noted  rock-carving,  which  re- 
presents two  beings,  one  holding  in  his  hands  grain 
and  grapes,  the  other  apparently  in  the  act  of  re- 
ceiving them.  The  features  of  the  men  and  the 
shape  of  the  shoes  show  unmistakably  that  the 
sculptures  are  the  work  of  the  Hittites  of  Car- 
chemish and  Boghaz  Keui.  Another  stone  with 
the  Hittite  carving  of  the  head  of  a  king  was  dis- 
covered by  Professor  W.  M.  Ramsay  in  the  village 
of  Bor,  a  day's  journey  to  the  north-east  of  Eregh. 
These  traces  of  a  primitive  people  have  an  interest 
entirely  apart  from  the  interpretation  of  their 
meaning,  since  like  beacons  they  point  out  the 


riiK  rdkiAi.  oi-  sri.TAN   khan 


TO  THE  EAST  OF  KONIA  261 

Royal  Road  over  which  the  Hittites  travelled  in 
passing  from  one  part  of  their  great  empire  to 
another. 

Ten  miles  beyond  Bor  the  road  enters  Nigdeh,  a 
town  of  about  ten  thousand  inhabitants.  The 
oldest  part  contains  some  beautiful  remains  of  the 
Seljukian  period  :  a  medrissa  with  an  elaborate 
entrance,  leading  to  the  court,  a  mosque  with  a 
fine  portal,  in  which  the  sculptured  heads  of  two 
women  appear  ;  and  a  very  beautiful  tomb  deco- 
rated with  rich  carving  and  stalactite  ornamenta- 
tion. The  medrissa  and  mosque  were  built  by  the 
Sultan  Ala-ed-din  I  ;  and  the  tomb,  though  bear- 
ing a  later  date,  is  called  the  tomb  of  Havanda, 
which  was  the  name  of  his  wife. 

For  part  of  the  way  this  road  encounters  dreary 
stretches,  for  it  traverses  the  south-eastern  edge  of 
the  Axylon  Plains,  which  to  a  large  extent  is  a 
desert  containing  Lake  Tuz  Geul,  numerous  small 
salt  lakes  and  great  alkaline  wastes.  Lake  Tuz 
Geul  has  a  much  larger  percentage  of  salt  than  the 
ocean  ;  and  the  waters  of  some  of  the  small  shal- 
low lakes  evaporate  after  the  rainy  season,  leaving 
heavy  deposits  of  salt.  The  precipitation  over 
most  of  the  area  is  too  small  to  raise  crops  ;  the 
streams  of  running  water  are  scarce  ;  and  only  in 
a  few  localities  do  wells  furnish  water  sufficient 
even  to  irrigate  small  patches  of  land.  There  are 
consequently  few  villages  and  few  fixed  habita- 
tions. But  during  part  of  the  year  the  natives  go 
with  their  camels  to  the  swamps  and  lakes  to 


262  ASIA  MINOR 

collect  the  salt  ;  and  the  nomads  drive  their  flocks 
from  place  to  place,  wherever  they  can  find  pasture  ; 
then  in  the  autumn,  when  the  springs  cease  to  flow 
and  the  grass  has  withered,  most  of  them  gather  at 
such  places  as  Sultan  Khan  or  among  the  towns  of 
the  Taurus  foothills. 

Sixty  miles  to  the  north-east  of  Nigdeh  rises  Mt. 
Argaeus,  a  volcanic  pile,  whose  upper  flanks,  glit- 
tering with  snow,  can  be  seen  a  hundred  miles 
across  the  plain.  On  its  western  and  south- 
western sides  it  faces  a  large  area  of  swampy 
ground,  which  is  covered  with  water  in  winter  and 
becomes  almost  dry  in  summer  ;  on  its  north- 
eastern side  it  overlooks  Kaisariyeh,  a  former 
capital  of  the  Cappadocian  kings.  The  fresh 
breezes  that  blow  from  its  lofty  snow-covered  top, 
and  the  cool  streams  that  flow  from  it,  have  from 
all  time  called  to  those  travelling  over  the  hot, 
sandy  plains.  They  drew  the  Hittites  away  from 
their  direct  course  from  Boghaz  Keui  to  Tyana  ; 
they  attracted  the  early  Christians  as  well  as  the 
Mohammedan  Seljuks ;  and  they  have  been 
largely  the  cause  of  the  modern  city,  one  of  the 
most  populous  in  Asia  Minor. 

From  Kaisariyeh,  two  araba  roads  extend  to 
Angora.  One  follows  the  same  highway  the 
Hittites  travelled  as  far  as  Yuzgat,  which  is  near 
Boghaz  Keui.  Yuzgat  is  also  near  the  centre  of 
the  great  horseshoe  bend  of  the  Kizil  Irmak,  which 
encloses  a  vast  and  slightly-cultivated  area  of 
mountain,  hill,  and  valley.     Though  it  is  not  a 


TO  THE  EAST  OF  KONIA  263 

large  town,  it  has  long  been  noted  as  one  of  the 
places  of  Asia  Minor  where  every  summer  people 
gather  to  enjoy  for  a  few  weeks  the  excitement  of 
a  fair,   while  exchanging  the  products  of  their 
looms,  their  horses  or  cattle,  or  bartering  them 
for  the  wares  of  itinerant  vendors.     The  other 
road  follows  a  north-westerly  course  over  upland 
plains,  and  between  rolling  hills  skirting  the  great 
central  desert.    It  passes  through  the  town  called 
Hadji  Bektash  after  the  founder  of  an  order  of 
dervishes,  who  lived  and  was  buried  there,  and 
who  gave  to  the  European  soldiers  whom  Murad  I 
received  into  his  army  the  title  of  "  Yeni  Ctieri," 
or  New  Soldiers,  which  eventually  became  cor- 
rupted into  the  word  Janissaries.     Forty  miles 
beyond  it  reaches  the  little  town  of  Mudjar,  and 
still  farther  Kir-shehr,  each  of  which  has  been  long 
noted  for  its  prayer  rugs  with  high  arches  and 
bright  colours. 

There  is  also  a  direct  road  from  Konia  to  Kaisar- 
iyeh  that  passes  through  Sultan  Khan,  and  within 
sight  of  Lake  Tuz  Geul,  as  it  traverses  the  great 
Axylon  Plains.  But  it  is  a  road  that  is  apt  to  be 
tiresome,  because  of  the  dreary  monotony  of  alka- 
line wastes.  And  yet  this  desert  is  the  abode  of 
a  great  silence  and  a  still  greater  solitude  which 
instead  of  depressing  soothe  one  just  as  a  soft 
lullaby  soothes  a  child  in  its  cradle.  It  holds  also 
the  enchantment  of  the  unknown  ;  it  awakens 
visions  that  for  ever  elude  attainment.  It  has  a 
fascination  when  the  sky  is  completely  hidden  by 


264  ASIA  MINOR 

the  black  clouds  of  tempests,  or  is  entirely  un- 
veiled ;  when  the  ground  Hes  beneath  an  endless 
covering  of  snow,  or  when  in  the  burning  summer 
the  hot  air  of  noon  trembles  above  the  parched, 
cracked  earth,  transmuting  the  little  tufts  of  grass, 
the  scraggy  bushes,  the  ragged  rocks,  into  unreal 
forms,  as  it  suffuses  then  with  a  dazzling  silvery 
light.  And  it  has  a  majesty  all  its  own,  which  is 
felt  with  the  first  red  shafts  of  day,  with  the  golden 
fires  of  sunset,  and  in  the  star-ht  darkness  of  night, 
a  majesty  that  baffles  definition,  for  it  is  part  of  the 
Infinite. 


CHAPTER  XII 

ESKI-SHEHR 

THE  city  of  Eski-shehr  lies  to  the  north- 
west of  the  great  central  plain,  at  an 
altitude  of  about  twenty-seven  hundred 
feet.  It  was  on  the  direct  highway  that 
followed  along  the  base  of  Mt.  Olympus  from 
Brussa  to  the  interior,  when  that  city  was  the 
capital  of  the  Ottoman  Turks.  It  is  now  at  the 
junction  of  the  Bagdad  railway  with  a  branch  that 
runs  easterly  to  Angora,  and  may  be  reached  from 
Constantinople  by  a  train  which  leaves  in  the 
morning  and  arrives  at  night,  or  from  Smyrna  by 
way  of  Afium  Kara-hissar  in  two  days,  spending 
the  night  at  Oushak.  Because  of  its  situation,  it 
is  a  place  of  great  potential  importance. 

To  the  east  of  Hereke  the  railway  from  Con- 
stantinople follows  close  to  the  northern  shore  of 
the  Gulf  of  Ismid,  as  the  long  narrow  bay  forming 
the  eastern  part  of  the  Sea  of  Marmora  is  called. 
At  its  greatest  width  the  gulf  is  ten  miles  wide, 
forming  a  most  beautiful  sheet  of  water,  encircled 
by  mountains,  and  so  clear  that  the  pebbles  at  the 
bottom  many  feet  below  the  surface  can  be  dis- 
tinctly seen.     Never  more  than  a  few  boats  of 

265 


266  ASIA  MINOR 

fishermen,  or  some  larger  boat  that  now  and  then 
carries  freight,  sail  over  it  at  one  time  ;  but,  if 
it  were  near  some  populous  district  of  Europe,  it 
would  be  covered  with  numerous  pleasure  yachts, 
just  as,  no  doubt,  twenty  centuries  or  more  ago,  it 
was  covered  with  royal  pleasure  barges  and  well- 
manned  triremes  ;  for  the  city  of  Ismid,  at  the 
head  of  it,  is  on  the  site  of  Nicomedia,  which  was 
founded  by  Nicomedes  I  in  264  B.C.,  and  for  long 
periods  was  the  splendid  capital  of  Bithynia- 
Here,  it  is  said,  Hannibal  died ;  and  here  the 
Roman  emperors,  Diocletian  and  Constantine  the 
Great,  had  residences. 

The  railway  continues  eastward  along  the  south- 
ern shore  of  Lake  Sabanja,  a  large  body  of  fresh 
water  surrounded  by  rolling  and  partly-wooded 
hills,  till  it  reaches  the  broad  valley  of  the  River 
Sakaria  near  the  great  bridge  Justinian  built.  It 
then  turns  to  the  south  and  follows  the  windings 
of  that  river,  now  over  cultivated  valleys,  now 
through  ravines  shut  in  by  high  hills,  which  are 
wild  and  rugged.  Again  it  traverses  more  open 
valleys  where  there  are  orchards  of  cherry-trees 
separating  broad  fields  of  grain,  where  there  are 
stations  shaded  by  locust-trees  and  surrounded  by 
picturesque  villages.  It  also  passes  not  far  from 
the  site  of  the  ancient  Nicsea,  whose  fame  rivals 
that  of  Nicomedia,  for  here,  on  the  remains  of  a 
settlement  older  than  history,  Antigonus,  the 
one-eyed,  built  a  city  he  named  Antigonea;  but 
Lysimachus,    his   rival,    changed    the    name    to 


ESKI-SHEHR  267 

Nicaea  as  a  tribute  to  his  wife.  Some  of  the 
kings  of  Bithynia  made  it  their  capital  ;  and 
in  the  year  325  a.d.  Constantine  the  Great  con- 
voked here  the  (Ecumenical  Council  that  prepared 
the  Nicene  Creed.  Seljuks,  Crusaders,  Greeks,  and 
finally  Ottoman  Turks  held  it  in  turn  ;  but  now 
all  that  remains  is  the  little  village  of  Isnik,  in  the 
midst  of  crumbling  walls  at  the  head  of  a  lake 
twenty  miles  in  length  with  a  short  outlet  to  the 
Sea  of  Marmora. 

To  this  point  the  railway  from  the  Bosphorus 
passes  through  a  district  that  is  pleasing  in  its 
simple  beauty,  as  well  as  interesting  for  its  associa- 
tions ;  but  farther  to  the  south  it  penetrates  a 
country  of  a  different  character.  It  no  longer 
follows  the  main  valley  of  the  Sakaria,  which  so 
strangely  turns  in  the  middle  of  its  course  to  wander 
far  to  the  east  and  then  back  again  ;  but  instead 
ascends  a  branch  of  the  river  flowing  northward 
to  cross  a  divide  to  another  branch  flowing  south- 
ward. The  scenery  is  grander  ;  the  villages  are 
more  picturesque.  At  one  place  the  road  passes 
through  a  magnificent  gorge,  with  maples  and 
willows  growing  at  the  edge  of  murky  waters  lashed 
with  foam,  and  with  pines  chnging  to  the  side  of 
walls  that  rise  several  hundred  feet  so  perpen- 
dicularly that  it  would  seem  the  smallest  plant  could 
hardly  root  there.  Here  the  river  flows  rapidly, 
with  a  fall  which  readily  might  be  used  for  the 
generation  of  power  ;  and  in  several  locations 
storage  reservoirs  could  be  constructed  for  irri- 


268  ASIA  MINOR 

gating  the  valleys  below.  Above  the  gorge  the 
valley  widens  a  little,  and  the  open  benches  by 
the  river  banks  are  occupied  by  carefully  culti- 
vated orchards. 

The  railway  crosses  one  of  the  old  highways 
from  Brussa  to  Eski-shehr  at  Bilejik,  a  town  of 
five  thousand  inhabitants,  who  for  the  most  part 
live  in  large  stone  houses,  perched  on  the  steep 
left  bank  of  the  stream.  A  little  beyond,  it  enters 
other  towns,  with  even  larger  buildings,  which  are 
used  for  spinning  and  weaving  the  silk  that  is 
cultivated  extensively  in  this  district.  At  length 
it  passes  through  several  tunnels  and  along  the 
sides  of  mountains  where  vineyards  and  small 
orchards  cover  terraces  built  almost  to  their  tops  ; 
while  down  below  the  stream  rushes  rapidly, 
forming  small  cascades  as  it  tumbles  over  half- 
concealed  rocks,  then  dashes  on  with  an  endless 
roar.  Here  again  it  descends  probably  not  less 
than  three  hundred  feet  to  the  mile,  wasting 
power  that  during  many  months  of  the  year  could 
be  utiHzed  to  turn  the  wheels  of  innumerable  mills. 
But  soon  the  country  becomes  more  open,  and  at 
a  distance  of  about  thirty  miles  from  Eski-shehr 
the  railway  reaches  the  summit,  from  which  it 
descends  southward  by  a  light  grade  through  a 
grain-producing  country  cultivated  only  moder- 
ately well  by  black  buffaloes  and  wooden  ploughs. 

Almost  all  of  this  road  from  the  Bosphorus  to 
Eski-shehr  is  through  scenery  that  is  both  inter- 
esting and  beautiful ;    but  the  road  from  Alium 


A    FLOUR    MILL    IN    ESKI-SHEHR 


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A    ILuUR    Mill.    IN     1..SK1    >1 11.111 


ESKI-SHEHR  269 

Kara-hissar,  on  the  other  hand,  has  httle  natural 
attraction,  except  where  it  passes  through  some 
small  gorge.  It  also  traverses  land  which  is  largely 
neglected,  because  its  cretaceous  soil  is  for  the 
most  part  poor.  In  a  general  way  its  course  lies 
between  the  Phrygian  mountains  that  bound  the 
great  central  plain  on  their  east  and  the  sources  of 
rivers  which  flow  to  the  west  and  north-west  into 
the  iEgean  Sea.  But,  although  the  scenery  near 
the  railway  is  not  beautiful,  the  land  is  historic. 

About  midway  between  Afium  Kara-hissar  and 
Eski-shehr  a  short  branch  of  the  main  railway 
extends  to  Kutaya,  the  ancient  Cotyaeum,  where 
some  say  JEsop  was  born  and  lived  as  a  slave 
before  Croesus  sent  him  to  Delphi.  Later  it  grew 
rapidly  in  population,  and,  though  burned  by  the 
merciless  Tamerlane,  has  continued  even  to  the 
present  time  to  be  an  important  city.  But  it  is 
the  country  to  the  east  of  the  railway,  among 
roUing  hills  used  for  pasturing  sheep  and  upland 
valleys  surrounded  by  the  pine  forests  of  the 
Phrygian  mountains,  that  awakens  the  greatest 
interest.  For  the  ancient  road  of  the  Hittites 
crossed  it  from  the  valley  of  the  Hermus  to  Boghaz 
Keui ;  and  the  kings  of  Midas  built  their  rock- 
walled  cities  among  its  ridges. 

Twenty  miles  to  the  north  of  Afium  Kara- 
hissar  the  railway  approaches  some  of  the  ruins 
of  this  old  Phrygian  kingdom.  They  consist 
principally  of  sepulchres  and  tombs,  which  are 
frequently   ornamented   with   lions   suggesting   a 


270  ASIA  MINOR 

possible  relationship  to  those  on  the  gateway  of 
Mycenae.  For  instance,  the  pediment  above  the 
entrance  of  a  tomb  at  the  village  of  Bey  Keui 
contains  two  large  rudely  carved  animals,  with 
the  size  and  attitude  of  lions,  which  doubtless 
represent  the  workmanship  of  a  very  early  period. 
And  a  sepulchre  in  a  rock  within  a  mile  of  Liyen, 
a  small  village  a  few  miles  farther  north,  has  an 
image  of  the  goddess  Cybele  cut  in  relief  on  an 
inner  wall,  with  a  lion  on  each  side.  There  are 
also  boldly  projecting  ledges  of  rock  farther  to 
the  south  containing  other  tombs  and  sepulchres 
of  much  the  same  character,  many  of  which 
appear  to  have  been  used  as  chapels  during  the 
early  days  of  the  Christians. 

Another  group  of  monuments,  probably  not  so 
old  but  none  the  less  interesting,  lies  a  day's 
journey  by  araba  farther  to  the  north-east,  among 
the  head  waters  of  small  branches  that  flow  into 
the  Sakaria.  They  include  fortresses  as  well  as 
tombs.  The  most  noted  and  interesting  fortress 
is  at  the  north  end  of  a  small  plateau  rising 
abruptly  above  the  plain,  and  surrounded  by 
cliffs  from  one  hundred  to  three  hundred  feet 
high.  On  this  plateau  the  Phrygians  built  a 
small  city,  though  some  figures  chiselled  on  the 
walls  and  a  few  stone  altars  are  almost  all  that 
remain.  And  at  its  northern  end,  in  a  precipitous 
rock  fifty  feet  wide  and  over  fifty  feet  high,  they 
also  excavated  a  sepulchre  known  as  the  Tomb  of 
Midas,  with  a  fa9ade  that  still  retains  an  inscrip- 


ESKI-SHEHR  271 

tion  and  geometrically  exact  and  almost  elaborate 
carving,  in  spite  of  the  destroying  action  of  wind 
and  rain  for  over  twenty-five  hundred  years.  The 
descendants  of  this  early  race  are  mostly  extinct. 
But  at  the  very  foot  of  the  fortress,  a  small  body 
of  exiles,  some  of  the  Circassians  who  nearly  half 
a  century  ago  left  their  homes  rather  than  yield 
to  the  Czar,  have  built  a  village,  and  now  harvest 
their  crops  near  the  road  the  Hittites  travelled. 

About  forty  miles  in  an  air  line  to  the  north- 
west of  the  Tomb  of  Midas,  some  springs  of  warm 
sulphur  water  issue  from  the  south  bank  of  a 
branch  of  the  Sakaria.  The  hills  to  the  rear  of 
them  could  readily  be  fortified;  the  broad  valley 
below  has  rich  soil  and  an  abundance  of  water. 
It  might  be  expected  that  such  conditions  would 
have  led  the  earliest  inhabitants  of  the  country 
to  found  a  city  there  ;  yet  the  place  was  of  little 
importance  before  the  Roman  supremacy,  when 
it  was  known  as  Dorylaeum.  In  the  days  of  the 
Byzantines,  it  became  one  of  the  principal  cities 
on  the  highway  to  the  East,  and  continued  to 
grow  in  importance  under  the  Turks,  who  called 
it  Eski-shehr,  signifying  the  "  old  town." 

This  city  commands  no  view  of  startling 
grandeur  ;  it  contains  no  ancient  monuments  of 
historic  value  ;  it  is  httle  more  than  an  ordinary 
Turkish  settlement  of  forty  thousand  inhabitants, 
with  few  attractions  for  the  stranger  bent  on 
seeing  places  of  consequence;  yet  it  possesses  a 
yiumber  of  features  unlike  those  of  almost  any 


272  ASIA  MINOR 

other  city  of  Asia  Minor.  The  grouping  of  its 
houses  naturally  divides  it  into  three  distinct 
parts  connected  by  broad  causeways  :  one  on  the 
slope  of  the  hills  to  the  south  ;  one  near  the  rail- 
way to  the  north  ;  and  one  which  contains  the 
springs  of  warm  water  and  lies  between  the  other 
two.  The  first  of  these  may  conveniently  be 
termed  the  Hill  District ;  the  second,  the  New 
District ;  and  the  last,  the  Central  District.  No 
doubt  the  most  ancient  inhabitants  settled  about 
the  warm  springs,  which  are  on  land  separated 
from  the  hills  by  a  stretch  of  low  alluvial  soil ; 
and,  as  their  numbers  grew,  built  the  more  easily 
defended  Hill  District,  which  now,  however,  appears 
to  be  the  oldest.  The  New  District,  on  the  other 
hand,  is  of  comparatively  recent  growth,  due  very 
largely  to  the  stimulating  influence  of  the  rail- 
way. 

The  most  important  buildings  of  the  New 
District  are  on  a  broad  avenue  extending  east- 
ward from  the  station.  They  include  a  post  office, 
a  telegraph  bureau,  a  large  building  connected 
with  the  administration  of  this  section  of  the  rail- 
way, and  a  number  of  hotels,  two  of  which  are 
among  the  best  to  be  found  in  Asia  Minor.  To 
the  rear  of  these  buildings  are  two  or  three  small 
khans  and  a  large  section  of  residences,  which 
show  by  their  freshness  that  they  had  been 
recently  built.  From  this  district,  stone-paved 
and  comparatively  clean  causeways  pass  between 
high  stone  houses  to  the  Central  District,  where 


ESKI-SHEHR  273 

there  is  also  evidence  of  an  invasion  of  Occidental 
enterprise.  Near  its  centre,  a  branch  of  the 
Imperial  Ottoman  Bank  occupies  a  well-con- 
structed modern  building  of  stone  ;  at  its  western 
end,  the  ground  was  being  cleared  at  the  time  of 
my  visit  for  a  new  me  .que  ;  and  over  a  doorway 
I  noticed  the  word?  '*  Chambre  de  Commerce." 
In  these  two  districts  the  growth  and  activity  are 
greater  than  in  any  other  city  of  Asia  Minor, 
except  Samsun  on  the  Black  Sea  ;  but  in  the  Hill 
District  life  appears  much  the  same  as  it  probably 
has  for  a  long  period,  despite  a  fire  that  swept 
over  a  large  part  of  it  in  1903. 

No  doubt  the  prosperity  and  activity  of  Eski- 
shehr  are  largely  due  to  the  fact  that  it  is 
an  important  railway  centre,  at  a  junction  with 
a  branch  road  ;  and  yet  there  are  other  causes. 
Large  quantities  of  meerschaum  are  mined  among 
the  hills  to  the  east  ;  and  the  adjacent  fertile 
valleys  produce  an  abundance  of  grain,  which  is 
ground  in  the  mills  hning  the  banks  of  the  Pursak 
Chai,  the  southern  branch  of  the  Sakaria.  Further- 
more, Eski-shehr  has  an  advantage  over  most  of 
thf.  cities  of  Asia  Minor  in  its  abundance  of  water, 
which  is  present  everywhere,  bubbhng  up  in 
springs,  hurrying  through  ditches,  coursing  as  a 
river. 

The  Pursak  Chai  flows  through  the  midst  of  the 
Central  District.  Here  it  is  spanned  by  a  high 
bridge,  supporting  on  each  side  of  the  way 
taverns    and    coffee-houses,    where    during    the 


274  ASIA  MINOR 

heat  of  summer  the  Turks  can  enjoy  the  current 
of  air  set  in  motion  and  cooled  by  the  swirhng 
muddy  waters  below.  Sometimes  as  I  crossed  it, 
I  stopped  to  watch  them  playing  dominoes, 
seemingly  as  free  from  care  as  children,  or  smoking 
their  narghilehs  while  looking  dreamily  at  the 
branches  of  the  willows  trembling  with  the  move- 
ment of  the  rushing  stream.  The  end  of  the 
bridge  towards  the  station  connects  with  an  open 
space  where  more  industrious  men  assemble  from 
the  country,  with  products  laden  in  ox-carts  yoked 
to  bullocks  ;  while  the  other  end  leads  to  a  street 
with  small  shops  partly  occupied  by  money- 
changers, and  by  vendors  of  meerschaum  pipes, 
beads  and  jewellery,  who  offered  to  be  at  my 
service  each  time  I  passed.  Other  shops,  contain- 
ing shoes,  clothes,  fresh  red  fezes  on  which  a 
Turk  is  perpetually  putting  the  final  touch,  and 
innumerable  other  articles  regarded  as  necessary 
for  Oriental  comfort,  face  the  same  street  and 
continue  along  it  as  far  as  the  bazaar,  which,  unlike 
most  others  in  Asia  Minor,  seems  to  have  fallen  in 
disrepute  ;  for  most  of  its  stalls  are  closed,  and 
the  others  are  occupied  by  hungry-looking  men. 

At  a  short  distance  from  the  bridge  the  springs 
of  warm  water  issue  from  several  places  in  an 
area  covering  about  an  acre.  Some  of  the  water 
is  conducted  into  small  bathing  houses,  which 
have  recently  been  renovated,  and  contain  not 
only  a  place  for  ablutions,  but  rooms  of  different 
degrees  of  temperature,  so  that  the  body  may 


ESKI-SHEHR  275 

gradually  cool  after  an  intense  perspiration  ;  but 
the  furnishings  are  of  the  simplest  kind,  and  the 
air  is  repellent  with  heavy  fumes.  The  warm 
water  is  also  conducted  in  an  iron  pipe  beneath 
the  ground  to  the  centre  of  a  small  square  where 
the  grocers,  butchers,  and  others  who  occupy  the 
surrounding  shops,  as  well  as  the  casual  passer-by, 
habitually  wash  their  hands  and  faces  in  pubHc 
view.  And  in  an  open  space  at  the  rear  end  of 
the  bath  house,  where  some  of  the  water  escapes, 
a  huddled  mass  of  girls  and  women  are  daily 
scrubbing  family  clothes  from  mom  till  night. 

Some  of  the  streets  close  by  are  used  for  an 
open  market,  which  on  fixed  days  brings  a  motley 
concourse.  Men  from  the  country,  wearing  tur- 
bans and,  during  winter  and  spring,  dressed  in 
long  coats  trimmed  with  fur,  come  with  their  ox- 
carts to  bargain  with  men  wearing  fezes  and 
baggy  trousers.  Hundreds  of  women,  dressed  in 
red  and  yellow  as  well  as  black,  cross  the  cause- 
ways from  the  Hill  District,  and  sitting  in  rows 
on  the  ground  of  the  market  place  display  em- 
broidered garments  of  home-made  stuff,  bowls  of 
curdled  milk,  eggs  which  often  have  an  unsavoury 
flavour,  bunches  of  fowls  with  tied  feet,  vegetables, 
heaps  of  raisins  and  dried  fruits,  all  exposed  to 
the  dust  and  dirt  driven  by  every  wind .  Slightly 
apart  from  the  others,  shrewd-looking  men  squat 
beside  innumerable  old  suits  of  clothes  of  every 
size,  shape,  and  condition,  and  gaze  alluringly  out 
of  their  little  eyes.      From  morn  till  eve  a  crowd 


276  ASIA  MINOR 

of  Jews,  Turks,  and  Tartars,  as  well  as  Greeks  and 
Armenians,  when  unmolested,  wander  about  or 
sit  in  groups,  chatting  far  more  than  buying,  and 
evidently  enjoying,  as  do  the  women,  this  oppor- 
tunity to  satisfy  gregarious  instincts  as  at  a 
country  fair. 

A  swift  body  of  water,  passing  from  the  main 
river  through  a  large  ditch,  is  utiHzed  to  turn  the 
wheels  of  a  number  of  mills,  with  machinery 
similar  to  what  is  used  in  many  parts  of  Europe  ; 
although  in  other  parts  of  the  city  some  of  the 
people  have  their  own  primitive  mortars  such  as 
I  saw  in  the  village  at  GonjeU.  No  sooner  had  I 
entered  one  of  the  mills  than  the  good-natured 
miller  invited  me  by  signs  to  inspect  his  plant, 
and  led  me  to  the  top  of  the  building  so  that  I 
could  see  each  step  of  the  process.  He  pointed 
out  the  golden  brown  kernels  disappearing  as  a 
steadily  moving  stream  into  the  hungry  jaws, 
and  finally  the  white  flour  separating  from  the 
chaff  and  flowing  into  sacks  on  the  lower  floor  ; 
while,  above  the  human  voices  and  the  tumult  of 
the  faUing  water,  rose  the  clanking,  grinding, 
groaning  sound  of  the  slowly  moving  wheels,  a 
sound  which  with  all  its  monotony  has  a  certain 
sweetness,  just  as  the  roar  of  a  mill  crushing 
quartz  containing  gold. 

In  an  open  space  at  the  west  end  of  the  city,  I 
saw  three  or  four  dozen  small  wooden  houses 
about  seven  feet  by  ten,  which  were  occupied  by 
Mouhajirs,  as  the  Moslem  refugees  are  called,  who 


•|  Ml-.     \\  A  I  t    II      I  i.W  1,1.     1)1      A.\i,.  >K 


ESKI-SHEHR  277 

left  their  homes  in  Macedonia  after  it  was  lost  to 
Turkey.  Two  hundred  thousand  of  them,  it  is 
said,  placed  all  their  goods  and  a  little  food  on 
their  ox-carts,  and  crossed  to  Asia  to  seek  new 
homes.  Thirty-five  thousand  settled  in  Brussa  ; 
others  travelled  as  far  as  Konia,  Karaman,  and 
Nigdeh.  Many  would  have  suffered  severely  but 
for  the  help  of  the  Society  of  the  Red  Cross,  which 
attended  them  in  their  illness,  and  provided  them 
with  clothing.  Those  in  Eski-shehr  seemed  still 
to  be  homeless,  for  their  houses  were  little  more 
than  boxes  into  which  a  whole  family  was  crowded 
at  night,  while  their  simple  meals  were  cooked 
over  a  few  coals  without.  Few  if  any  of  them  had 
sufficient  means  to  stay  at  one  of  the  locandas, 
which  are  native  inns  with  rooms  for  separate 
guests,  or  even  at  a  khan  where  many  occupy  in 
common  a  large  divan. 

The  proprietor  of  one  of  these  khans  showed  it 
to  me  with  unconcealed  feelings  of  pride,  for  it  is 
one  of  the  largest  and  best  in  the  city,  and  in- 
cludes a  court  covering  about  an  acre  of  ground. 
At  night  the  travellers  leave  their  carts  and  stable 
their  oxen  in  the  court,  place  their  wares  and 
harness  for  safety  in  the  low  windowless  cabins 
adjoining  it,  and  sleep  in  them  if  they  are  not  too 
particular.  But  as  a  rule  they  sleep  in  the  guest 
house,  which  consists  of  only  one  room,  with  a 
divan  extending  the  full  width  of  the  building  at 
each  end,  and  with  a  high  ceiling  supported  by 
slender  columns.    At  the  time  I  entered,  not  long 


278  ASIA  MINOR 

after  midday,  an  old-fashioned  European  clock 
was  loudly  ticking  on  one  of  the  columns  ;  a  few 
small  tables,  on  which  are  served  tea  and  coffee, 
were  standing  in  the  space  between  the  divans  ; 
and  on  one  of  the  divans,  which  was  covered  with 
matting,  a  man  lay  sleeping,  dressed  as  when  at 
work,  and  without  indulging  in  the  luxury  of  a 
blanket,  though  large  numbers  of  them  were  piled 
in  each  comer  and  are  rented  for  a  trifling  sum. 
In  summer,  when  the  air  is  hot  and  becomes 
charged  with  the  breath  of  several  dozen  men 
packed  closely  together,  it  is  almost  stifling  ;  yet 
such  is  the  way  they  live  when  travelling  through 
most  of  Asia. 

At  the  r^ar  of  the  upper  floor  of  the  hotel  at 
which  I  remained  while  at  Eski-shehr,  a  veranda 
faces  a  pretty  court  shaded  with  trees,  where  some 
of  the  guests  sit  before  little  tables  during  warm 
evenings  and  refresh  their  parched  throats.  It 
also  looks  over  the  high  walls  that  surround  the 
court  towards  the  paved  causeways  leading  to  the 
Central  District,  and  still  beyond  towards  the 
ever  fascinating  picture  of  an  Oriental  city  climb- 
ing from  the  base  half-way  up  the  slope  of  a  range 
of  hills,  a  city  where  grey  walls  and  dull  red  roofs 
blend  with  the  green  of  poplars  and  plane-trees, 
where  needle-like  minarets  rise  above  round 
domes.  This  is  the  district  I  enjoyed  visiting 
more  than  the  others,  for  it  is  the  one  that  has 
yielded  least  to  modern  Occidental  tendencies. 

The  field  separating  the  Central  District  from 


ESKI-SHEHR  279 

the  Hill  District  is  half  a  mile  wide  and  without  a 
habitation  except  a  few  buildings  near  the  ends 
of  the  unshaded  causeways,  so  that  the  two 
districts  appear  like  distinct  towns  in  close 
proximity.  It  is  of  rich,  dark  loam  covered  with 
vegetable  gardens  and  patches  of  clover  ;  it  is 
watered  by  tiny  rivulets,  and  shaded  here  and 
there  with  orchards,  and  with  poplars  grouped 
about  shallow  wells.  Whenever  I  passed,  bent 
women,  dressed  in  bright  red  or  yellow  gowns 
and  duly  guarded  by  a  turbaned  man,  were 
energetically  hoeing.  But  once,  at  one  end  of 
the  field,  I  saw  a  man  lazily  leading  two  white 
oxen,  which  were  dragging  a  wooden  plough 
another  man  was  holding.  Everywhere  the 
women  seemed  more  energetic  and  industrious 
than  the  men. 

The  Hill  District  has  a  large  paved  pubhc 
square  or  market  place,  which  is  partly  sur- 
rounded by  a  mosque,  large  warehouses,  and 
prominent  buildings  occupied  by  merchants.  It 
is  the  assembling  place  of  black  bullocks  and  even 
cows  attached  by  crudely-made  yokes  to  waggons 
and  carts.  Near  it  a  broad  ditch  conducts  a 
stream  of  water  from  the  river  to  the  wheels  of 
noisy  flour  mills.  On  the  banks  of  the  stream, 
beneath  the  shade  of  poplars,  women  are  per- 
petually washing.  They  wash  before  public 
fountains  in  different  parts  of  the  city,  where  long 
hollow  trunks  of  trees  take  the  place  of  tubs. 
And  they  wash  by  little  pools,  where  there  are 


28o  ASIA  MINOR 

stone  slabs  on  which  they  place  their  wet  clothes 
and  pound  them  with  broad  wooden  blades  until 
it  seems  as  if  warp  and  woof  could  bear  no  more. 

The  dogs  in  this  part  of  the  city  have  so  little 
respect  for  a  giaour,  and  are  so  relentless,  that  I 
was  obliged  on  one  occasion  to  find  a  retreat 
within  the  high  walls  of  an  old  mosque  partly 
surrounded  by  a  medrissa.  The  Moslem  in  charge, 
a  patriarchal-looking  man  with  long  grey  beard, 
seemed  to  share  none  of  the  fanatic  intolerance  of 
the  dogs,  for  in  exchange  for  a  silver  coin  he  un- 
locked the  door  and  permitted  me  to  take  a  photo- 
graph of  the  interior,  where  the  floor  was  covered 
with  innumerable  rugs  and  kilims,  and  where  the 
high  niche  in  the  wall  facing  Mecca  was  adorned 
with  inscribed  banners  and  surrounded  by  large 
brass  candlesticks.  Afterwards,  for  protection,  I 
bought  a  stout  staff  from  a  shepherd,  whose 
almost  immobile  face  at  once  expressed  his 
incredulity  of  my  ability  to  guard  a  flock  of 
sheep  properly. 

Near  some  barracks  on  the  hill  adjoining  the 
city  on  the  west,  I  came  to  a  large  cemetery 
containing  a  few  fine  tombs,  though  it  is  unpro- 
tected by  walls.  In  two  or  three  places,  among 
slabs  of  marble,  black  shrouded  forms  were 
standing  motionless  and  in  silence.  A  little  girl 
was  seated  on  the  ground,  resting  her  back 
against  a  headstone  as  she  watched  her  calves 
nibble  the  grass  that  grew  above  the  graves.  At 
the  sound  of  my  footsteps  she  lifted  her  eyes 


ESKI-SHEHR  281 

slowly,  almost  protestingly  at  being  disturbed, 
then  turned  them  away  with  a  look  of  indifference 
as  I  passed  by.  On  another  part  of  the  hill 
a  ragged  boy  with  a  flute  was  dreamily  piping  the 
soft  notes  of  an  AnatoHan  lay  while  he  followed 
his  browsing  sheep,  as  in  the  days  of  old.  Down 
below,  the  minghng  people  displayed  something 
of  the  bustle  of  an  Oriental  city  ;  but  here  all 
were  affected  with  a  listless  inertness,  save  a  few 
Turks  who  were  leisurely  quarrying  limestone  in 
a  small  ravine. 

A  road  built  on  one  side  of  the  ravine  ascends 
the  hill.  I  chmbed  it,  passing  neglected  pieces  of 
carved  marble  that  are  probably  relics  of  the 
ancient  Dorylaeum.  From  the  top  I  could  look 
over  the  city  and  the  broad  valley  to  the  enclosing 
mountains,  serenely  calm  in  the  purple  hght.  I 
could  see  to  the  east  a  little  lake  surrounded  by 
swampy  land,  and  the  grey  bending  hne  of  a 
highway  leading  beyond  it  to  two  villages  half 
hidden  in  the  dull  haze  of  the  distance.  It 
required  an  effort  of  the  imagination  to  realize 
that  this  placid  scene  had  ever  witnessed  a  clash 
of  arms,  had  ever  played  a  part  of  any  importance 
in  bygone  days.  Yet  it  was  somewhere  below, 
perhaps  by  the  mill  with  enormous  wheel  on  the 
river's  bank  two  miles  away,  or  in  the  broad  field 
where  bullocks  were  ploughing  the  damp  dark 
earth,  that  the  Crusaders  under  Godfrey  de 
Bouillon  met  and  defeated  "the  Seljukian  Turks. 
It  was  among  the  hills  to  the  north-west,  on  a 


282  ASIA  MINOR 

little  stream  flowing  into  the  Sakaria,  that  the 
Ottoman  Empire  had  its  birth,  for  there  Orthogrul, 
their  first  leader,  ruled.  There,  too,  lie  his  remains 
in  a  tomb,  in  the  town  of  Sugut.  Other  cities  of 
Asia  Minor  have  a  greater  historic  interest  than 
Eski-shehr  ;  about  others  hang  a  deeper  mystery 
and  fascination  ;  but  some  of  the  leaders  of  the 
Turks,  in  whom  instincts  inherited  from  a  remote 
past  are  not  yet  dead,  have  wished  that  here  on 
their  native  soil,  remote  from  Europe,  they  might 
build  a  new  capital,  near  the  valley  where  their 
fathers  once  followed  their  flocks  and  their  race 
grew  to  be  a  sovereign  power. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

TO   THE   EAST   OF   ESKI-SHEHR  :     ANGORA   AND   THE 
HITTITE   RUINS 

THE  military  highway  of  the  Byzantines 
from  Eski-shehr  to  Angora  ran  in  a  south- 
easterly direction  across  the  northern  end 
of  the  Phrygian  mountains  till  it  met  the 
ancient  Royal  Road  at  the  village  of  Bala-hissar, 
then  turned  and  followed  that  road  to  the  north- 
east. But  the  railway  takes  a  much  easier  grade 
down  the  valley  of  the  Pursak  Chai,  which  is 
from  ten  to  fifteen  miles  wide  for  a  distance  of 
about  thirty-five  miles.  Part  of  the  valley  is 
planted  with  grain,  but  there  are  also  great  stretches 
of  land  only  poorly  cultivated,  or  given  over  to 
the  grazing  of  small  bands  of  cattle  and  flocks  of 
sheep.  About  fifty  miles  from  Eski-shehr,  the 
level  land  is  confined  to  a  narrow  strip  which  is 
surrounded  by  hills  slightly  wooded,  and  these  in 
turn  are  enclosed  by  mountains  covered  with 
forests  of  pine.  A  little  beyond,  the  valley  widens 
again,  but  here  the  harvests  are  poor,  for  the  soil 
has  little  depth,  and  in  many  places  the  under- 
lying limestone  appears.  There  is  also  swampy 
ground,  the  resort  of  ducks  and  other  wild  fowl  ; 


284  ASIA  MINOR 

and  farther  to  the  east,  along  the  northern  border 
of  the  Axylon  Plains,  there  are  rolling  uplands 
over  which  shepherds  drive  their  sheep,  and  also 
goats  with  long,  fleecy  white  wool.  These  goats 
may  be  seen  in  all  directions,  climbing  the  ragged 
volcanic  cliffs,  jumping  from  rock  to  rock,  or 
mingling  in  the  plains  with  the  sheep,  which,  in 
contrast,  appear  most  clumsy  with  their  big 
broad  tails  flapping  with  every  movement. 

As  the  road  approaches  Angora,  it  passes 
through  a  more  cultivated,  rolHng  plain  with 
scattered  villages  of  mud- walled  houses,  covered 
mostly  with  flat  roofs  ;  but  from  a  distance  it  is 
difficult  to  distinguish  them,  for  they  are  almost 
colourless,  and  blend  with  the  dull  brown  earth 
of  the  plain  and  the  grey  rocks  of  the  hills  on 
which  they  are  located.  In  all  probability  the 
houses  are  of  the  same  character  as  those  that 
have  been  built  there  since  the  earliest  days,  as 
the  people  show  shght  evidence  of  progress,  and 
many  of  them  are  lineally  descended  from  the 
Hittites  and  Phrygians,  as  well  as  the  later  Gallic 
invaders. 

No  one  knows  how  old  Angora  is.  Its  site  may 
have  been  occupied  even  before  the  days  of  the 
Hittites,  since  its  physical  conditions  would  meet 
the  requirements  of  primitive  people  better  than 
those  of  almost  any  other  locality  in  Asia  Minor. 
It  is  on  a  volcanic  hill  that  rises  five  hundred  feet 
from  a  small  but  rich  valley,  and  has  two  almost 
precipitous  sides.     It  is,  moreover,  almost  com- 


ON    THE    BOSPHORUS 


^^^^smimmassim 


IHE    KOSl'HUKUS 


TO  THE  EAST  OF  ESKI-SHEHR     285 

pletely  surrounded  with  streams  of  water,  which 
form  the  most  easterly  branches  of  the  Sakaria. 
When  first  it  appears  in  history,  it  was  an  im- 
portant Phrygian  town,  on  the  ancient  road  to 
Boghaz  Keui,  with  the  name  of  Ancyra,  a  Greek 
word  for  an  anchor.  Since  then  it  has  passed 
through  as  many  changes  of  fortune  as  any  of  the 
cities  on  the  western  coast  ;  it  fell  into  the  hands 
of  Alexander  the  Great  ;  it  was  one  of  the  capitals 
of  the  Gauls,  and  finally  became  part  of  the  Roman 
Empire.  Zenobia,  Queen  of  Palmyra,  Chosroes, 
the  Persian,  and  Haroun  al-Raschid,  of  Bagdad, 
as  well  as  Crusaders  and  Seljuks,  dominated  it  for 
short  periods.  At  length  the  Ottoman  Turks 
captured  it,  and  have  held  it  ever  since  ;  though 
Tamerlane  entered  the  city  after  defeating  Bajazet 
on  the  plains  below,  where  long  before  Pompey 
had  vanquished  Mithridates. 

Only  a  few  of  these  different  peoples  left  monu- 
ments of  which  any  part  remains.  A  high  column, 
generally  attributed  to  Augustus,  is  near  the 
southern  side  of  a  small  plaza  overlooking  the 
valley  at  the  northern  end  of  the  city.  Parts  of 
the  famous  Temple  of  Augustus  and  Rome  are 
also  standing  a  httle  higher  up  the  hill.  It  is  the 
one  in  which  copies  of  the  bronze  tablets  made  at 
Rome  to  commemorate  important  events  in  the 
life  of  Augustus  were  placed  ;  and  where,  when  it 
had  been  injured  by  an  earthquake  and  partly 
despoiled  to  adorn  inferior  works,  the  Christians 
met  to  worship.    Near  its  south-west  corner  is  a 


286  ASIA  MINOR 

mosque  with  turbeh,  built  during  the  reign  of 
SoUman  I  (1520-1566)  and  named  after  Hadji 
Bairam,  the  distinguished  founder  of  an  order  of 
dervishes.  The  highest  part  of  the  hill  is  crowned 
by  a  citadel,  which  is  partly  surrounded  by  triple 
walls  that  have  been  restored  again  and  again, 
and  contain  inscribed  fragments  of  still  older 
walls.  They  enclose  some  marble  lions  and  the 
remains  of  a  mosque  of  Ala-ed-din  ;  but  the 
interest  in  these  time-worn  relics  of  the  past  is 
dulled  by  the  magnificent  view  dominating  every 
part  of  the  city,  unfolding  the  adjacent  valleys, 
reaching  across  the  rolling  hills  to  the  blue  moun- 
tains at  the  north,  to  the  long  crest  of  Elma  Dagh, 
the  Apple  Mountain,  which  hides  the  desert  on 
the  south,  and  extending  to  the  peaks,  tinted 
cream  and  light  red,  half  a  mile's  journey  by 
araba  to  the  west. 

Two  branches  of  the  Sakaria  have  to  a  large 
extent  defined  the  city,  which  contains  within  an 
area  not  exceeding  a  square  mile  a  population  of 
forty  thousand  people.  One  flows  past  its  north- 
eastern side,  at  the  base  of  a  steep  acclivity,  and 
at  the  northern  end,  turning  at  right  angles 
through  a  narrow  gorge  with  precipitous  walls, 
joins  a  second  stream  that  winds  along  its  south- 
western side  through  low  marshy  ground  half  a 
mile  wide.  The  city  is  located  almost  entirely 
on  the  hill  between  these  two  streams,  so  that 
many  of  the  streets  are  very  steep.  They  are 
neither  shaded  with  trees  nor  provided  with  pave 


TO  THE  EAST  OF  ESKI-SHEHR     287 

ment,  but  are  paved  with  stones  inclined  from 
each  side  to  the  centre.  Some  of  them  are  only  a 
few  feet  wide,  and  wind  irregularly  between  bal- 
conied houses  in  such  proximity  that  it  would  be 
possible,  by  jumping  from  one  to  another  through 
opened  windows  on  the  upper  stories,  to  call 
without  the  formahty  of  entering  by  the  front 
door  ;  other  houses  are  so  closely  crowded  that 
the  daylight  is  almost  completely  excluded  from 
the  alleys  below. 

One  afternoon  I  left  the  hotel  at  the  station, 
which  is  separated  from  the  city  by  the  wide  strip 
of  marshy  ground,  to  climb  to  the  citadel.  On 
the  causeway  I  passed  lumbering,  creaking  ox- 
carts loaded  with  faggots  for  the  city,  and  men 
and  women  travelling  afoot,  as  well  as  men  on 
horseback  and  in  covered  carriages.  In  the 
principal  business  quarters,  prosperous  Greeks 
wearing  high  collars  and  frock-coats  were  mingling 
with  one  another,  but  were  almost  ignoring  the 
much  larger  numbers  of  Moslems  poorly  clad  in 
the  picturesque  costume  of  the  Orient.  The 
narrow  streets  of  the  city  were  more  crowded  than 
usual  in  Asiatic  Turkey,  and  the  little  shops 
presented  a  scene  of  industrious  activity.  In  one 
section  men  were  making  shoes  ;  in  another  they 
were  repairing  harness  ;  and  in  still  another  they 
were  casting  and  energetically  hammering  large 
bells,  which  resounded  like  others  that  in  Catholic 
lands  had  chimed  the  Angelus. 

I  climbed  the  hill  not  far  from  some  very  old 


288  ASIA  MINOR 

Greek  and  Armenian  churches  and  entered  the 
bazaar,  which  is  so  far  above  most  of  the  dwelHngs 
that  the  business  of  the  city  is  largely  transacted 
in  the  shops  below.  Then  turning  to  the  north 
between  mud-walled,  flat-roofed  houses,  I  passed 
through  a  narrow,  dirty  street  where  the  carved 
marble  capital  of  an  ancient  column  lay,  and 
approached  the  citadel  beneath  fortifications  in 
which  other  pieces  of  sculptured  marble  are 
promiscuously  inserted  between  roughly  hewn 
igneous  rocks.  As  I  stood  by  its  walls,  with  an 
octagonal  tower  called  the  Watch  Tower  on  my 
right,  I  could  look  down  on  the  flat  roofs  of 
numerous  small  stone  and  adobe  houses,  on  one 
of  which  I  noticed  some  women  chatting,  and 
spinning  with  primitive  spindles.  Doubtless  they 
had  followed  an  ancient  custom  in  mounting  there 
to  enjoy  the  cool  air  of  the  approaching  evening, 
since  to  the  south  and  west,  where  the  city  is 
extending,  many  of  the  modern  houses,  which 
have  gable  roofs,  are  provided  with  spacious 
verandas  on  the  upper  floor.  On  the  side  of  the 
hill  I  had  ascended,  the  houses  facing  the  narrow 
tortuous  streets  are  so  crowded  that  I  could  not 
see  any  of  the  thousands  of  inhabitants,  excepting 
the  women  on  the  roofs  and  a  few  boys  who  had 
followed  me  from  curiosity  ;  but  on  the  eastern 
side  the  acclivity  is  too  steep  for  habitations, 
though  they  occupy  the  lower  ground  to  the  east 
of  the  hill,  and  even  follow  the  banks  of  the  stream 
a  couple  of  miles  beyond,  where  I  could  see  the 


TO  THE  EAST  OF  ESKI-SHEHR     289 

villas  of  the  wealthier  class  surrounded  by  gardens 
and  orchards. 

The  principal  beasts  of  burden  at  Angora  are 
the  black  bullocks,  or  "  water  buffaloes  "  as  they 
are  called.  There  are  also  many  donkeys,  which 
however  unkempt  and  dirty  wear  trappings 
decorated  with  beads  or  cowrie  shells,  not  alone 
because  of  any  aesthetic  sense  but  to  avert  the  evil 
eye.  There  are  comparatively  few  camels  ;  and 
even  horses  are  not  numerous,  though  they  could 
be  raised  with  slight  expense  where  there  is  so 
much  unoccupied  land.  I  was  somewhat  sur- 
prised as  I  approached  the  city  at  not  seeing  vast 
herds  of  the  goats  for  which  this  district  is  noted. 
The  cats,  too,  though  widely  famed,  seemed 
exceedingly  scarce ;  but  I  was  told  those  of 
artistocratic  descent  are  carefully  guarded. 

The  hotel  at  the  station,  though  a  well-built 
modern  structure,  was  so  wretchedly  kept  that  it 
was  no  virtue  that  prompted  me  to  rise  before  the 
night  was  quite  spent,  and  stroll  about,  enjoying 
the  cool  fresh  air,  and  the  views  of  valley  and 
mountain,  which  are  often  vested  with  a  glory  of 
light  that  is  not  uncommon  in  Asia.  One  morning 
in  May,  I  watched  from  a  distance  of  a  mile  the 
beginning  of  dawn  over  Angora.  The  air  was 
exceedingly  clear  ;  but,  in  the  dull  gloom,  the 
ridge  where  the  city  lay  seemed  to  rise  perpen- 
dicularly before  me.  A  pink  glow  spread  in  the 
east,  and  slowly  outlined  the  precipitous  cliffs  of 
the  deep  gorge,  and  the  sharp  line  of  the  summit 


290  ASIA  MINOR 

on  which  the  citadel,  tower,  and  six  minarets 
stood  against  the  sky.  As  the  Hght  grew  brighter, 
tops  of  houses  along  the  upper  crest  defined 
themselves  ;  but  almost  the  entire  city,  which 
lay  on  the  side  of  the  hill  towards  me  and  away 
from  the  sun,  was  still  in  darkness.  Little  by 
little,  almost  lingeringly,  lines  of  blue  smoke,  hke 
comets'  tails,  rose  from  the  darkness  and  drifted 
southward.  Then  the  roofs  of  tiles  caught  from 
the  sky  the  reflected  Hght  of  the  rising  sun  ;  and 
the  low  houses,  and  the  narrow,  crowded  streets, 
where  thousands  of  people  lived  huddled  together, 
gradually  appeared.  I  could  hear  the  toll  of  deep- 
sounding  bells,  the  murmur  of  awakening  life,  the 
dull  noises  of  stirring  people,  even  when  most  of 
the  city  was  still  veiled  in  shadow,  and  in  the 
smoke  rising  from  innumerable  homes.  Soon 
men  and  waggons,  leaving  the  shadows,  began  to 
pass  along  the  highways  that  crossed  the  plain. 
At  length  the  sunbeams  struck  the  octagonal 
tower,  the  tops  of  ragged  walls,  the  shafts  of 
minarets,  and  shot  through  the  city  streamers  of 
glittering  light  that  widened  and  descended  until 
at  last  all  was  completely  revealed.  In  the  clear 
atmosphere  of  the  East,  the  dawn  of  that  morning 
at  Angora,  which  even  now  possesses  so  much  of 
the  appearance  of  mediaeval  days  and  of  the  old 
Ancyra,  was  one  of  the  most  beautiful  sights  I 
witnessed  in  Asia. 

About  one  hundred  miles  due  east  of  Angora, 
an  old  araba  road  passes  through  Boghaz  Keui. 


TO  THE  EAST  OF  ESKI-SHEHR     291 

This  Turkish  village  has  little  interest  in  itself  ; 
but  it  is  on  the  site  of  the  ancient  ruins  of  Pteria, 
the  most  northern  of  the  two  capitals  of  the  great 
empire  of  the  Hittites,  who  once  not  only  ruled 
the  greater  part  of  Asia  Minor  and  Syria,  but 
overran  Canaan,  and  maintained  relentless  and 
sometimes  successful  wars  against  the  Pharaohs 
of  Egypt.  The  ruins  display  little  of  the 
mechanical  skill  or  imposing  grandeur  of  the 
monuments  of  the  Nile,  but  are  nevertheless  of 
great  archaeological  interest,  since  they  are  the 
remains  of  the  earliest  known  inhabitants  of  Asia 
Minor.  They  consist  almost  entirely  of  sculptured 
rocks,  walls  of  fortification,  redoubts  and  a  palace  ; 
for  the  dwellings  in  which  the  people  lived  have 
entirely  disappeared.  Probably  these  buildings 
were  partly  of  wood  that  was  burned  by  the  last 
conquering  enemy,  or  were  of  sun-dried  bricks 
covered  with  thatch  overlaid  with  earth,  so  that 
when  the  thatch  burned  the  roofs  fell  and  the 
walls  crumbled  away  beneath  the  storms  of 
centuries. 

What  remains  is  of  most  primitive  character 
without  any  evidence  of  Greek  influence.  The 
outer  walls  of  the  city  consisted  of  rubble  six  feet 
wide,  faced  on  both  sides  with  carefully  dressed 
stones  four  feet  thick,  and  were  surmounted  by 
towers  at  distances  of  about  thirty-five  yards. 
At  the  eastern  and  southern  sides  the  walls  con- 
tained a  number  of  double  gates  formed  by  huge 
stones  inclined  so  as  to  form  a  pointed  arch,  and 


292  ASIA  MINOR 

with  a  space  between  the  outer  and  inner  gate. 
The  citadel  was  constructed  of  enormous  blocks 
of  roughly  cut  stone,  which  to  a  large  extent  are 
still  in  place  on  the  edge  of  a  limestone  ridge 
towering  several  hundred  feet  above  a  gorge. 
These  and  the  traces  of  other  fortifications 
throughout  the  city  display  the  workmanship  of 
a  crude  civilization. 

The  main  avenue  seems  to  have  extended  for  a 
mile  and  a  quarter  from  the  south-east  to  the 
north-west,  the  direction  of  the  city's  greatest 
length  from  wall  to  wall.  On  the  lower  ground 
of  the  north-west  end,  it  passes  the  ruins  of  a 
number  of  buildings  which  were  doubtless  used 
for  administrative  purposes,  and  also  the  palace, 
which  had  a  front  of  about  forty-six  yards  and  a 
depth  of  seventy.  What  remains  of  the  palace 
consists  of  blocks  of  limestone  hewn  on  the  spot, 
and  of  trachyte,  which  was  brought  from  a 
distance,  all  dressed  so  as  to  fit  one  another  with 
exactness,  but  uncemented  with  mortar.  Evidently 
they  formed  chambers  facing  a  central  hall  or 
court  ;  but  it  is  impossible  to  reconstruct  the 
building  as  a  whole,  since  large  parts,  which  were 
probably  of  wood,  long  since  disappeared. 

The  outer  gates  are  sculptured  to  represent  an 
Amazon  larger  than  life,  and  lions  similar  to  those 
in  the  ancient  Phrygian  cities.  Moreover,  the  walls 
of  two  adjacent  galleries  of  limestone  about  a 
mile  to  the  north-east  of  the  city  contain  figures 
of  still  greater  interest.     Some  of  them  represent 


IHtt    WALLS    OK    IHK    MICU1E\AL    lORV    AT    RKKASL  N 1)    KACINU    THK    NORTH 


vr,. 


THli    VVAH,>,OK    THK    MEDIEVAL    FOKl    AT    KEKASLNU    l-Atl.NO     llIK    bOl  TH 


TO  THE  EAST  OF  ESKI-SHEHR     293 

men  wearing  kilts,  tall  pointed  hats,  and  shoes 
with  upturned  toes,  and  carrying  reaping  hooks 
on  their  shoulders  as  a  soldier  would  a  musket. 
A  few  are  doubtless  a  king  and  priests  ;  and  one, 
with  a  human  head  and  with  the  body  formed  of 
parts  of  a  hon,  may  be  intended  for  the  goddess 
Cybele.  There  are  also  designs,  including  the 
winged-disc  and  the  double-eagle,  which  now 
after  the  lapse  of  nearly  thirty  centuries  appear  as 
conventionahzed  symbols  in  rugs  of  Asia  Minor 
and  Caucasia  ;  but  their  original  meaning  and 
the  significance  of  these  rock-pictures  of  human 
forms  are  largely  conjectural. 

Throughout  the  city,  and  particularly  in  one 
of  the  chambers  of  the  palace,  have  been  found 
fragments  of  glazed  pottery,  not  as  delicate  as 
that  of  Sardis,  but  much  older  and  painted  in 
different  colours,  and  also  tiles  with  cuneiform 
inscriptions.  Many  of  the  tiles,  which  appear  in 
part  to  be  diplomatic  correspondence,  such  as 
communications  with  rulers  of  Syrian  provinces 
and  a  treaty  with  Rameses  the  Great,  are  in 
Assyrian,  which  suggests  an  intimate  relation 
between  the  great  empires  of  Asia  Minor  and 
Mesopotamia.  Others  that  are  Hittite  remain  as 
yet  uninterpreted. 

The  ruins  of  Euyuk,  twenty  miles  to  the  north 
of  Boghaz  Keui,  and  on  a  road  built  by  the 
Hittites  to  Sinope  on  the  Black  Sea,  contain 
similar  stone  carvings,  though  they  belong  to  the 
earliest  period.     Images  of  sphinxes  showing  an 


294  ASIA  MINOR 

unmistakable  Egyptian  influence  stand  near  the 
entrance  of  a  building  that  was  probably  the 
palace.  Here  again  appears  the  symbol  of  the 
double-eagle,  which,  according  to  Professor  Sayce, 
was  brought  to  Europe  by  the  Crusaders  in  the 
fourteenth  century,  and  has  since  been  adopted 
as  an  emblem  by  Austria  and  Russia.  Most  of 
these  carvings  are  crude  ;  but  they  establish  the 
fact  that  the  Cybele  who  was  adopted  by  the 
Phrygians,  and  who  subsequently  became  the 
Artemis  of  the  Greeks  and  the  Diana  of  the  Romans, 
was  the  great  Hittite  goddess  of  productiveness, 
whose  rites  were  gradually  adjusted  to  the  tem- 
peraments of  these  different  people.  When  more 
of  these  ruins  have  been  uncovered  and  the 
inscribed  lines  interpreted,  it  may  be  found  that 
the  Hittites  had  an  important,  if  remote,  influence 
on  the  art  and  religion  of  Greece  and  Rome. 

An  araba  road  extends  beyond  Euyuk,  a  north- 
easterly direction  to  the  city  of  Marsivan,  which  con- 
tains an  important  American  missionary  school  and 
hospital,  and  thence  to  Samsun  on  the  Black  Sea. 
Another  road  from  Boghaz  Keui  to  Samsun  is 
by  way  of  Amasia,  a  remarkably  picturesque  city 
in  a  wild  gorge  of  the  Yeshil  Irmak,  which  in  time 
will  be  reached  by  a  railway  from  Samsun  to 
Sivas.  Mithridates  the  Great,  as  well  as  other 
kings  of  Pontus,  dwelt  there;  but  the  city  is 
principally  noted  as  the  birthplace  of  the  geo- 
grapher Strabo. 

Boghaz  Keui,  Euyuk,  Marsivan,  Samsun,  and 


TO  THE  EAST  OF  ESKI-SHEHR     295 

Amasia  lie  within  the  great  horseshoe  curve  of  the 
Kizil  Irmak.  The  country  surrounding  them  is 
crossed  by  mountain  ranges  that  point  in  every 
direction,  and  is  seamed  by  deep  ravines  which 
carry  rapid  streams.  It  has  villages  and  towns 
with  picturesque  ruins  amid  scenes  of  unsur- 
passed natural  beauty.  But  its  greatest  interest, 
nevertheless,  lies  in  the  fact  that  it  was  the  home 
of  the  earliest  civilization  in  Asia  Minor,  and  of  a 
race  that  played  an  important  part  in  great 
struggles  with  the  Assyrian  and  Egyptian  empires. 


CHAPTER  XIV 

THE  SOUTHERN  SHORE  OF  THE  BLACK  SEA  : 
SAMSUN,  KERASUND,  TREBIZOND 

DURING  parts  of  the  year,  particularly 
winter  and  early  spring,  when  tur- 
bulent winds  from  the  Russian  steppes 
blow  across  the  Black  Sea,  the  voyage 
from  the  Bosphorus  to  Batum  is  usually  suffi- 
ciently rough  to  mar  the  pleasure  of  all  unaccus- 
tomed to  the  rolling  and  pitching  of  vessels  ;  but 
at  other  seasons  the  water  is  smooth  and  the 
weather  delightful.  Small  steamers  of  several 
nationalities,  of  which  the  Russian  and  Austrian 
are  generally  to  be  preferred,  make  the  trip 
regularly  when  unpre vented  by  strikes  and  wars. 
They  stop  at  numerous  towns,  such  as  Eregli, 
Sinope,  Samsun,  Kerasund,  Trebizond,  and  Riza, 
so  that  it  is  frequently  the  sixth  day  before  they 
reach  Batum.  But  each  of  these  places  has  special 
charms  ;  and  the  principal  ones  warrant  remain- 
ing until  the  coming  of  another  steamer. 

At  the  end  of  spring,  I  left  Constantinople  for 
Batum  on  one  of  the  larger  boats  in  the  Austrian 
Lloyd  service.  One  of  the  passengers  on  the  upper 
deck  was  a  Frenchman  going  to  Trans-Caucasia, 

296 


SOUTHERN  SHORE  OF  BLACK  SEA     297 

one  a  moUah  who  resided  in  Armenia,  one  an 
Englishman  who  had  business  agents  in  Kerasund 
and  Trebizond  ;  and  besides  these  there  were 
numbers  of  Turks  who  hved  in  the  towns  along  the 
northern  coast  of  Asia  Minor.  There  were  also 
numerous  men,  women,  and  children  of  the  Orient, 
congregated  about  the  hatchway  in  the  space 
below  the  main  deck  amidships,  and  also  about 
the  hatchway  in  the  forepart  of  the  vessel.  Most 
of  them  appeared  to  be  very  poor,  for  they  pre- 
pared their  own  meals,  and  had  neither  chairs  nor 
beds,  but  during  part  of  the  day  sat  on  their 
blankets,  beneath  which  they  disappeared  com- 
pletely at  night. 

Amid  a  scene  of  intense  animation,  a  tug-boat 
dragged  the  steamer  from  the  wharf  near  the 
marble  mosque  of  Yeni  Valideh  at  Stamboul  into 
the  channel  before  the  Golden  Horn.  Innumer- 
able boats  were  gliding  over  the  waters  :  cushioned 
caiques  rowed  by  scolding,  gesticulating  Turks, 
who  threatened  dire  calamities  to  one  another, 
dashed  back  and  forth  ;  sailing  boats  were  lowering 
their  masts  as  they  passed  beneath  the  bridge 
irom  Gal^ta  ;  and  ferry-boats  crowded  with 
people  were  uttering  strident  whistles  as  they 
hurried  to  or  from  their  landing  places.  Yet 
through  all  this  commotion,  where  some  collision 
seemed  inevitable,  our  steamer  quietly  and  harm- 
lessly turned,  and  leaving  behind  the  most 
fascinating  city  of  Europe,  entered  the  Bos- 
phorus. 


2gB  ASIA  MINOR 

Nowhere  is  the  channel  over  two  miles  wide, 
and  for  most  of  the  distance  it  is  only  one  mile,  so 
that  from  the  middle  of  its  course  the  villas  and 
marble  palaces  stretching  northward  beyond 
Galata  on  the  western  side  and  Scutari  on  the 
eastern  may  be  distinctly  seen.  Two  miles  beyond 
the  Golden  Horn,  and  near  the  spot  at  which 
Mohammed  beached  his  boats  to  draw  them  over- 
land to  the  upper  waters  of  the  harbour,  the 
steamer  passed  the  palace  of  Dolma  Baghtcheh, 
the  Pearl  of  the  Bosphorus  ;  and  a  little  farther 
the  picturesque  homes  of  Beshiktash,  where 
legends  tell  that  Jason  landed,  and  the  palace  of 
Cheragan,  to  which  Sultan  Abdul  Aziz  retreated 
and  bled  to  death.  On  the  eastern  shore,  at  the 
base  of  Mt.  Bulgurlu,  which  is  covered  in  part 
with  olives  and  wild  thyme  and  jasmine,  it  passed 
the  marble  steps  leading  up  to  the  palace  of 
Beylerbey,  where  Abdul  Aziz  entertained  the 
Empress  Eugenie  seven  years  before  he  was  de- 
throned ;  and  then  the  pretty  villas  of  Candilli ; 
and  the  little  valley  of  the  Geuk  Su,  the  Sweet 
Waters  of  Asia,  visited  in  the  long  days  of 
hot  summers  by  luxurious  caiques  carrying  the 
elite  of  Stamboul  and  Pera.  Everywhere  the 
cream  white  of  buildings  and  the  deep  blue  of  the 
water  contrast  with  the  green  of  swards  and 
heavily  wooded  hills,  and  with  the  brilliant 
foliage  of  Judas-trees  of  the  colour  of  the  petals 
of  the  bougainvillaea.  Most  of  the  landscape  has 
warm    light    tones,    and    seductive    groves    that 


A     WKI.I.    HV    THK    MKHIICVAl.    rOKT    Al'    KEKASTM) 


J^iV.    INIKKIdK    ()!•      IHE    M  KI M  K\  A  I.    I  < 'kl     A  I'    KICKAKUNIJ 

X. 


SOUTHERN  SHORE  OF  BLACK  SEA     299 

would  delight  pleasure-loving  wood  nymphs  ;  but 
there  are  also  little  glens  with  dark  shadows,  and 
burial  places  marked  by  sombre  cypresses. 

Where  the  waters  empty  into  the  Sea  of 
Marmora  the  current  is  hardly  perceptible  ;  but 
six  miles  above  Constantinople,  where  the  channel 
is  less  than  half  a  mile  wide,  it  is  rapid.  At  the 
most  narrow  point,  close  by  the  Sweet  Waters  of 
Asia,  Darius  constructed  a  bridge  of  boats  for  the 
passage  of  his  army.  Here  also  Bajazet  erected 
a  castle,  known  as  Anatoli  Hissar,  or  the  Castle 
of  Asia  ;  and  directly  opposite,  on  the  site  of  an 
earher  Byzantine  fortress,  Mohammed  H  built 
the  more  important  Roumeli  Hissar,  or  the  Castle 
of  Europe,  when  he  was  preparing  to  complete  the 
conquest  from  which  Bajazet  had  been  diverted 
by  the  invasion  of  Tamerlane.  Its  embattled 
walls,  surmounted  by  grey  towers  and  projected 
against  the  greenwood  hills,  form  one  of  the  most 
picturesque  sights  of  the  Bosphorus  ;  yet  even  in 
bright  sunhght  they  are  foreboding,  as  if  there 
still  Hngered  the  spirit  of  those  dark  days  when 
the  booming  of  a  cannon  announced  that  the  body 
of  another  strangled  Janissary  had  passed  through 
the  Traitor's  Gate  into  the  rushing  waters.  But, 
as  an  augury  of  better  days,  a  high  point  over- 
looking them  is  covered  with  the  buildings  of  the 
Robert  College,  where  the  youth  of  Turkey  are 
receiving  the  light  of  the  Occident. 

Probably  a  large  part  of  the  trees  that  make 
the  lower  reaches  of  the  Bosphorus  so  beautiful 


300  ASIA  MINOR 

are  due  to  cultivation  and  protection,  for  beyond 
the  twin  castles  the  hills  are  but  slightly  wooded, 
and  the  scenery  is  much  less  picturesque,  except 
amid  scattered  villas  and  at  the  summer  palaces 
of  some  of  the  European  embassies  on  the  western 
side.  To  a  slight  extent,  this  difference  may  also 
be  due  to  a  change  in  the  geological  formation. 
Near  Constantinople  the  rocks  are  of  sedimentary 
origin  ;  but  farther  to  the  north  they  are  igneous, 
and  on  the  eastern  side  display  jagged  flanks 
descending  between  the  Giant's  Mountain  and  the 
old  Genoese  forts,  which  are  three  miles  from  the 
Black  Sea,  Here  in  earlier  centuries  an  enormous 
chain  was  stretched  from  one  shore  to  the  other 
in  times  of  war. 

The  air  was  warm,  not  a  cloud  darkened  the 
sky,  nor  wind  ruffled  the  water,  in  the  afternoon 
when  our  steamer  moved  slowly  among  these 
scenes  of  beauty  and  historic  interest  along  the 
sixteen  miles  of  the  slightly  winding  channel,  and 
passing  the  ancient  Symplegades,  through  which 
the  legendary  Argonauts  escaped  only  by  watch- 
ing the  flight  of  a  dove,  entered  the  Black  Sea. 
Yet  the  sea  is  only  black  at  times — when  the  sun 
has  set,  or  clouds  gather  overhead — in  a  clear, 
sunlit  day  it  appears  green,  and  again  blue  like 
the  waters  of  the  Mediterranean.  The  sea  was 
more  placid  than  the  Bosphorus,  which  at  all 
seasons  is  affected  by  currents  passing  between 
the  Black  and  iEgean  Seas,  and  at  length  became 
smooth  as  glass,  so  that  the  steamer  glided  over 


^^> 
X 


SOUTHERN  SHORE  OF   BLACK  SEA     301 

it  with  only  the  sHghtest  quiver  due  to  the  move- 
ment of  the  engines.  Within  sight,  a  score  of 
boats  were  hstlessly  floating  with  empty  sails  ; 
and  a  Russian  steamer,  on  the  way  to  Odessa, 
was  trailing  a  long  scarf  of  black  smoke  that 
paled  to  ashy  grey  as  it  faded  away.  For  a  few 
moments  the  sun  hid  behind  the  smoke,  then 
played  over  the  surface  of  the  waters,  changing 
them  from  the  colour  of  lapis-lazuli  to  the  irides- 
cence of  an  opal,  and  finally  sank,  ending  with 
the  red  glow  of  fire  a  most  perfect  day.  But  soon 
a  bank  of  fog  enveloped  the  steamer  in  total 
darkness ;  yet  even  without  a  compass  there 
would  have  been  no  danger  of  running  ashore, 
since  the  bed  of  the  sea  inclines  so  gradually  that 
the  distance  to  land  is  readily  calculated. 

On  a  clear  day,  the  general  character  of  the 
northern  coast  of  Asia  Minor  may  be  discerned 
from  the  steamers,  since  they  pass  within  a  short 
distance  of  it.  It  forms  a  great  reverse  curve 
with  its  centre  at  Cape  Inje,  of  which  the  western 
half  is  convex  to  the  north  and  the  eastern  half 
is  concave  to  the  south.  As  far  as  the  mouth  of 
the  Sakaria,  about  eighty  miles  from  the  Bos- 
phorus,  the  mountains  that  follow  the  shore  are 
low  ;  but  to  the  east  they  rise  rapidly,  and 
maintain  an  altitude  of  several  thousand  feet. 
Behind  this  coast  range  are  still  others  more  or 
less  parallel  to  it.  The  northern  part  of  Asia 
Minor,  in  fact,  consists  almost  entirely  of  lofty 
ranges,  separating  small  fertile  tracts,  and  riMider- 


302  ASIA  MINOR 

ing  difficult  the  communication  of  the  compara- 
tively few  interior  towns  with  the  small  ports  of 
the  sea. 

In  the  spring  and  early  summer  the  shore 
presents  a  beautiful  sight.  For  long  distances 
the  shelving  beaches  are  of  hard  pebbles,  so  that 
the  green  waves  that  break  over  them  are  clear. 
The  flanks  of  mountains  behind  them  are  irregu- 
larly broken,  and  are  shaded  by  clumps  of  bushes 
separated  by  stretches  of  waving  grass  ;  their 
rugged  crests  are  covered  with  dense  forests, 
which  include  oak  and  pine.  Along  the  greater 
part  of  the  coast-line  the  mountains  approach 
almost  to  the  water's  edge,  leaving  no  level  land 
above  the  beach ;  though  at  long  intervals 
abrupt  openings  appear,  where  some  stream  has 
worn  a  channel  to  the  sea,  and  carved  away  the 
hills  so  as  to  afford  sufficient  room  for  a  town  or 
village,  surrounded  on  its  outskirts  by  small 
areas  of  cultivated  land. 

Only  a  few  of  these  inhabited  places  have 
wharves,  and  during  parts  of  the  year  it  would  be 
entirely  unsafe  for  vessels  to  be  moored,  so  that 
the  transfer  of  passengers  and  freight  is  effected 
by  row-boats  about  twelve  feet  wide  and  thirty- 
five  feet  long,  which  even  when  laden  with  a  cargo 
a  couple  of  men  will  force  through  the  water  by 
standing  erect  and  then  throwing  their  weight 
against  the  heavy  oars. 

Some  of  these  coast  towns  are  on  the  sites  of 
ancient  cities  founded  by  Greek  colonies,  and  are 


SOUTHERN  SHORE  OF  BLACK  SEA      ^>o 


)^^j 


still  largely  occupied  by  Greeks,  when  undisturbed 
by  war.  One  is  Eregli,  a  place  of  five  thousand 
inhabitants,  which  was  settled  by  people  of 
Boeotia  about  550  B.C.,  and  contains  the  ruins  of 
old  temples.  Another  is  IneboH,  the  ancient 
Aboniteichos,  built  along  a  beautiful  beach,  above 
which  the  mountain  sides  for  a  height  of  several 
hundred  feet  are  planted  with  grain  and  orchards. 
Much  better  known  is  Sinope,  the  termination  of 
the  road  the  Hittites  built  northward  from  Boghaz 
Keui.  Probably  it  existed  even  before  the  begin- 
ning of  history,  for  it  occupies  a  most  prominent 
position  at  the  western  extremity  of  a  great  bay 
of  which  the  delta  of  the  Kizil  Irmak  forms  the 
eastern  headland.  It  was  by  far  the  most  im- 
portant of  the  Greek  colonies  on  the  Black  Sea  ; 
it  was  the  birthplace  of  Diogenes,  Mithridates 
the  Great  and  a  number  of  others  who  attained 
renown.  But,  unfortunately  for  its  permanency, 
the  lofty  mountains  behind  it  bar  ready  com- 
munication with  the  interior,  so  that  in  time  it 
dechned,  till  now  it  has  a  population  of  only  eight 
thousand. 

The  eastern  half  of  the  great  reverse  curve 
between  the  Bosphorus  and  Batum  is  sculptured 
by  several  promontories,  some  of  which  are 
separated  by  bays  affording  convenient  locations 
for  cities.  One  of  these  cities  is  Samsun,  on  the 
western  bank  of  a  small  river.  Mithridates  built 
there  one  of  his  residences ;  and  before  the 
beginning  of  the  Christian  era  it  had  become  the 


304  ASIA  MINOR 

terminus  of  one  of  the  most  important  trade  routes 
between  Asia  Minor  and  the  Black  Sea.  Now, 
after  centuries,  during  which  the  ancient  port 
has  been  filled  with  silt  and  the  mole  has  almost 
disappeared,  when  only  a  few  broken  slabs  of 
marble,  bits  of  pottery  and  fragments  of  Greek 
walls  mark  the  site  of  the  ancient  acropolis,  it 
seems  about  to  rise  to  a  position  of  importance. 

The  city  has  a  population  of  about  twenty 
thousand,  and  is  the  most  thrifty  on  the  coast, 
for  it  is  in  direct  communication  with  the  numerous 
villages  and  towns  that  occupy  every  valley  as  far 
south  as  the  central  plain,  as  well  as  the  larger 
cities  of  Amasia,  Tokat,  and  Sivas,  with  which  it 
is  ultimately  to  be  connected  by  railway.  The 
comparatively  open  country  adjacent  to  it 
presents  a  marked  contrast  to  the  rugged  moun- 
tains to  the  east  and  west.  On  each  side,  as  well 
as  to  the  rear,  it  is  surrounded  by  sloping  hills, 
which  are  farmed  from  the  water's  edge  to  their 
rounded  summits  ;  and  the  banks  of  the  river 
have  a  terrace  of  rich  soil,  which  is  irrigated  and 
carefully  cultivated. 

Just  before  the  European  war,  the  population 
was  almost  equally  divided  between  Greeks  and 
Turks.  The  Greeks  live  for  the  most  part  on  the 
hills  to  the  south  of  the  city,  and  near  the  water 
front  at  the  western  end,  where  there  are  many 
large  well-built  buildings,  with  the  regular  lines 
of  Grecian  architecture,  and  with  the  air  of  un- 
attractive   respectability.      The    streets    of    this 


KKkA>l    Ml 


^.^^^■Sf 


2>«. 


I  KKBIZOM) 


SOUTHERN  SHORE  OF  BLACK  SEA  305 

district  are  moderately  clean  ;  and  some  of  the 
stores,  where  European  articles  of  dress,  pro- 
visions, and  household  furnishings  can  be  pur- 
chased, would  be  creditable  to  an  Occidental  city 
of  equal  population.  A  good  bank  building,  a 
new  hotel  and  a  summer  garden  are  only  a  few 
of  the  modern  improvements.  On  the  other 
hand,  the  Turkish  district,  which  attracts  the 
people  of  the  interior — wandering  Turkoman 
tribesmen,  shepherds  from  the  mountains,  in 
whose  actions  appear  the  simple  expression  of 
nature  ;  and  Kurds  with  the  fierce  instincts  of  the 
Carduchi — has  the  bazaar,  innumerable  small 
shops,  khans  and  locandas.  It  extends  eastward 
along  the  beach,  which  is  lined  with  small  struc- 
tures where  the  boatmen  and  the  unskilled 
workers  of  the  Turkish  populace  live  ;  and  also 
adjoins  the  main  street  that  traverses  the  city 
from  the  large  warehouses  near  the  wharf  to  the 
bank  of  the  river.  At  its  mouth,  this  is  a  broad, 
shallow  stream,  the  favourite  haunt  of  the  black 
buffalo,  whenever  permitted  to  cool  their  bodies 
in  its  waters.  It  is  spanned  by  a  long  wooden 
bridge  connecting  with  an  old  road  that  reaches 
eastward  to  the  Kizil  Irmak  and  thence  to  the 
interior.  On  the  western  bank,  a  road-bed  was 
graded  a  few  miles  years  ago  for  the  railway  to 
Sivas  ;   but  rails  were  never  laid. 

A  little  beyond  Samsun  the  country  becomes 
more  rugged.  The  mountains  in  the  background 
are  covered  with  dense  forests,  which  afford  slight 


3o6  ASIA  MINOR 

opportunity  for  cultivation  ;  the  hills  along  the 
shore  are  beautifully  wooded,  and  give  shelter  to 
a  few  small  towns,  which  from  the  sea  seem 
isolated,  but  are  connected  with  one  another  by 
roads.  One  of  them  is  Ordu,  the  ancient  Cotyora, 
where  the  Ten  Thousand  finally  embarked  for 
Sinope,  of  which  it  was  a  colony,  just  as  Sinope 
was  a  colony  of  Miletus,  and  Miletus  a  colony 
of  Crete.  It  has  still  the  appearance  of  a 
Greek  town  ;  but  has  also  a  character  of  its  own, 
for  it  rests  on  the  side  of  steep  hills  cut  by  a  little 
valley,  and  its  well-built  houses  are  surrounded 
with  an  abundance  of  vegetation,  such  as  flower 
gardens,  orchards,  and  large  umbrageous  trees. 

Along  this  part  of  the  coast,  rapid  streams, 
some  only  thirty  or  forty  miles  in  length,  though 
in  the  late  spring  when  the  snow  begins  to  melt 
they  carry  large  volumes  of  water,  break  through 
the  nearest  mountain  range  at  intervals  of  a 
few  miles,  leaving  escarpments  and  carving  deep 
narrow  valleys  that  are  densely  wooded.  Beyond 
Ordu,  the  line  of  the  mountain  crest  projected 
against  the  sky  is  very  much  serrated,  and  leaves 
depressions,  through  which  three  or  four  ranges 
appear  from  the  ocean  to  rise  one  beyond  the 
other  with  different  shades  of  light,  so  that  the 
effect  is  grandly  impressive. 

In  the  very  middle  of  the  arc  of  the  great  curve 
which  the  Black  Sea  forms  at  its  south-eastern 
extremity,  a  narrow  promontory  several  hundred 
feet  high  projects  into  the  sea.    It  is  connected  by. 


/ 

SOUTHERN  SHORE  OF  BLACK  SEA     307 

a  low  short  neck  of  land  with  the  foot-hills  of  the 
mountains  that  border  the  coast ;  and,  at  each 
side  of  it,  a  small  bay  curves  gracefully  to  the 
east  and  to  the  west.  The  kings  of  Pontus  easily 
converted  its  summit  into  a  stronghold,  where 
Mithridates  the  Great  confined  his  harem  during 
his  war  with  Rome  ;  and,  centuries  later,  the 
Byzantines  converted  the  stronghold  into  a  massive 
fortress  with  walls  reaching  to  the  sea.  This 
promontory,  the  neck  of  land  and  the  foot-hills, 
are  now  the  site  of  Kerasund,  the  most  beautiful 
city  on  the  northern  coast  of  Asia  Minor. 

The  summit  of  the  promontory  is  partly  hidden 
from  view  by  large  trees  planted  about  the 
old  fortress  ;  its  lower  flanks  are  mostly  covered 
with  houses  extending  in  places  to  the  water's 
edge,  where  with  every  swell  the  waves  splash 
against  their  foundations.  The  western  side, 
between  the  neck  of  land  and  the  beach  below,  is 
the  old  quarter,  typical  of  Asia,  with  all  its  dirt, 
\\dth  all  its  fascinating  picturesqueness.  But 
adjacent  to  it,  like  some  growth  from  a  decaying 
trunk,  are  a  number  of  modern  buildings  :  the 
custom-house,  the  Konak,  and  the  most  promi- 
nent business  houses  of  the  city,  with  broad 
fronts  two,  three,  and  one  even  five  stories  high, 
which  stretch  along  the  water's  edge  in  the 
direction  of  the  foot-hills. 

The  city  has  neither  harbour  nor  wharf  ;  but, 
as  the  sea  was  smooth,  our  steamer  came  to 
anchor  half  a  mile  distant  on  the  western  side. 


3o8  ASIA  MINOR 

Before  the  beach,  small  boats  with  high  bows  and 
sterns,  and  painted  in  bright  colours,  like  the 
dress  of  the  natives,  in  which  yellow,  blue,  green, 
and  red  predominated,  were  slowly  bobbing  and 
rocking  with  each  swell.  Some  of  them  were 
drawn  high  on  the  short  stretches  of  sand  that 
lay  between  the  houses  at  the  base  of  the  promon- 
tory ;  some  rested  on  the  narrow  strip  of  beach 
that  extended  in  a  long,  continuous,  graceful 
curve  westward  from  the  custom-house  ;  and  as 
our  anchor  fell  others  put  forth  from  a  rocky  cove 
beneath  the  neck  of  land  to  bring  aboard  Turkish 
officials  and  to  carry  the  passengers  and  freight 
ashore. 

As  our  boat  grazed  the  shore,  turbaned  natives 
stretched  out  their  hands  and  helped  us  to  scramble 
over  its  wet,  slippery  surface  to  an  opening  leading 
to  the  old  quarter.  We  passed  along  steeply 
inclined  streets  paved  with  stones,  which  at  short 
distances  are  raised  like  steps  to  increase  the 
ascent.  Most  of  the  streets  are  narrow,  and  so 
winding  that  they  present  succeeding  patches  of 
light  and  shade,  according  as  they  are  directed 
towards  the  sun  or  turned  so  that  the  adjacent 
buildings  conceal  it.  Some  of  these  buildings  are 
of  stone  carefully  set  in  mortar  and  with  plastered 
fronts  ;  some  are  of  wood  carefully  fitted  together 
and  painted.  Others,  however,  appear  to  have  the 
decrepitude  of  a  patriarch  without  his  dignity, 
for  they  are  made  of  wood  in  which  every  knot 
shows,  and  whose  jointings  seem  sufficiently  wide 


SOUTHERN  SHORE  OF  BLACK  SEA     3og 

to  admit  both  cold  and  wind  ;  the  ridges  of  their 
roofs  are  bent  hke  the  spine  of  a  sway-backed 
horse,  and  the  tiles  that  cover  them  are  of  broken 
fragments.  Over  the  doors  of  a  few  of  the  shops, 
sheets  of  bent  and  rusty  iron  project  like  the 
covering  of  a  veranda  ;  and  here  and  there  a 
canvas  is  stretched  across  the  street  as  a  further 
protection  against  the  sun. 

As  we  traversed  the  busy  part  of  the  city, 
there  seemed  to  be  a  dearth  of  women,  but  a  host 
of  men,  who  are  almost  equally  divided  between 
the  industrious  and  the  unemployed.  A  few  were 
engaged  in  building  ;  some,  in  carrying  heavy 
burdens  up  the  steep,  narrow  streets  ;  many  had 
little  shops,  where  they  were  fashioning  various 
wares  in  brass  ;  but  others,  who  were  idle,  gazed 
at  us  with  looks  of  earnest,  if  not  unfriendly, 
curiosity.  Everywhere  appeared  a  blending  of  the 
clean  and  unclean  :  here  we  passed  an  inviting 
garden  of  simple  beauty  ;  not  far  away  we  saw 
noisome  nooks  and  dingy  crannies.  Near  the  heart 
of  the  city,  we  entered  the  court  of  a  caravan- 
sary. At  its  centre  rose  a  high  octagonal  reservoir, 
from  which  a  stream  of  water  was  running  into  a 
stone  basin,  and  as  it  overflowed  was  trickling 
through  the  muck  on  the  stone  pavement.  At 
one  side  an  enormous  bale  of  merchandise  lay  in 
the  filth  ;  at  the  other  side,  a  harnessed  donkey 
was  anxiously  contemplating  the  movements  of 
a  white-bearded  Turk  feeding  a  heifer.  Other 
donkeys  and  a  horse  were  occupying  dusky  stalls 


310  ASIA  MINOR 

beneath  the  low  veranda  of  the  surrounding 
building  ;  while  a  dozen  goatskins,  with  shaggy 
fleeces,  hung  from  the  roughly  constructed 
balconies  of  the  second  and  third  stories.  A 
small  part  of  the  court  was  in  the  sunlight ;  but 
the  remainder  was  dark  and  damp,  sending  up 
foul  odours  that  would  drive  from  the  dwelling 
rooms  above  all  unaccustomed  to  such  Oriental 
habitations.  And  yet,  compared  with  many  of 
the  abiding  places  throughout  the  East,  this 
might  well  be  termed  a  Caravan  Serai,  or  ''  Mer- 
chants' Palace." 

In  Kerasund,  evidence  of  the  natural  fondness 
of  the  Turks  for  trees  and  flowers  appears  every- 
where. Space  is  reserved  near  the  Konak  for  a 
miniature  park,  though  the  adjacent  streets  are 
narrow.  It  is  surrounded  by  a  paling  sufficiently 
high  to  prevent  the  browsing  of  passing  donkeys, 
but  permitting  an  unobstructed  view  of  its  un- 
affected daintiness  and  the  inhaling  of  its  fragrance. 
Deciduous  trees,  with  enormous  trunks,  have 
been  planted  by  the  side  of  some  of  the  streets, 
and  from  spring  till  autumn  support  a  canopy  of 
foliage.  Other  trees  spread  their  branches  over 
the  little  yards  of  houses  so  old  and  rickety  that 
they  are  partly  propped  by  crooked  poles  im- 
planted on  square  stones,  and  also  over  the  yards 
and  roofs  of  adjacent  houses,  affording  a  shade 
where  the  people  linger  in  the  heat  of  the  long 
summer,  now  working,  now  dreaming. 

From  the  ridge  of  the  neck  of  land  we  climbed 


i  / 


/n 


SOUTHERN  SHORE  OF  BLACK  SEA     311 

a  path  along  the  eastern  side  of  the  promontory  to 
its  summit.  It  passed  httle  cottages  overgrown 
with  vines,  and  facing  shaded  courts  where  children 
played.  Near  the  top,  a  woman  unexpectedly 
appeared  in  the  way  above  us,  but  at  our  approach 
glided  like  a  black  shadow  among  some  trees 
and  disappeared  behind  a  wall.  Another  with  a 
pitcher,  who  was  descending  from  above,  hastily 
covered  her  head  and  hurried  away.  It  seemed 
impossible  they  could  be  fetching  water  from  so 
near  the  summit ;  but,  as  we  paused  to  see  the 
view  of  wonderful  beauty  that  lay  to  the  east,  a 
slender  figure,  wearing  a  dark  skirt  and  with  a 
white  shawl  thrown  over  her  head  and  shoulders, 
entered  the  path  a  little  before  us.  She  was 
holding  an  earthen  vessel  in  each  hand,  and 
climbed  hastily,  with  the  supple  agility  of  one 
who  was  young  and  long  accustomed  to  the  hill, 
then  turning  aside  mounted  some  moss-covered 
rocks,  and  kneeling  gracefully  at  the  base  of  the 
walls  of  the  mediaeval  fort,  bent  over  a  small  pool 
confined  by  masonry.  Naively  she  let  the  folds 
of  her  shawl  part  a  little  from  her  face  and  form, 
and  glanced  half  timidly,  half  inquiringly,  just  as 
pagan  maidens  have  doubtless  always  done.  To 
this  same  spring  that  issued  within  fifty  feet  of 
the  highest  point  of  the  promontory,  women  have 
evidently  come  for  centuries  to  fill  their  pitchers 
and  bear  them  away  to  their  homes  below.  And 
so  they  will  continue  to  come  and  go,  living  their 
simple  lives,   completely  satisfied   in   the   incon- 


312  ASIA  MINOR 

veniences  of  their  own  limitations,  until  a  Western 
civilization  is  thrust  upon  them. 

In  mediaeval  days  the  old  fortress  must  have 
been  almost  impregnable,  for  it  has  massive  walls 
which  rise  from  the  solid  rock  that  crowns  the 
summit  ;  and  it  is  partly  surrounded  by  an  outer 
wall  protected  at  short  intervals  by  towers.  Ivy 
clings  to  one  of  its  sides ;  and,  in  an  open 
court  before  it,  fruit  trees  and  denser  trees  are 
growing  as  if  not  very  long  ago  some  one  had 
lived  there  ;  yet  it  is  utterly  unfit  for  habitation 
now.  As  we  passed  among  the  ruins  a  Turk  was 
listlessly  following  his  cows  among  the  green 
declivities  and  the  damp  spots  where  lilies  hide  ; 
and  a  detachment  of  soldiers  were  drilling  beneath 
some  trees  a  few  rods  away. 

The  view  from  these  walls  includes  part  of  the 
city  that  is  totally  concealed  from  the  business 
section  below,  since  it  extends  along  the  lower 
flanks  of  the  mountains  to  the  east  of  the  divide. 
This  is  the  best  residential  part  of  the  city. 
Except  near  the  circumference,  the  habitations 
occupy  every  available  space,  displaying  a  pano- 
rama of  light-coloured  walls  and  dark  red  roofs 
overtopped  here  and  there  by  a  dome  or  still 
loftier  minaret,  and  also  by  graceful  poplars  and 
tall  stately  cypresses.  Yet  the  wealth  of  foliage 
of  all  kinds  is  so  great  that  these  trees  are  hardly 
conspicuous,  for  not  only  are  the  garden  plots 
marked  by  numerous  smaller  trees,  but  the  hills 
above   the    city    and    the    overtowering    moun- 


SOUTHERN  SHORE  OF  BLACK  SEA     313 

tains  are  heavily  wooded  with  many  species  of 
large  size,  as  well  as  the  wild  cherry,  which  it  is 
said  Licinius  Lucullus  introduced  into  Italy  after 
the  completion  of  his  successful  war  with  Mithri- 
dates.  From  the  walls  of  the  fortress  can  also  be 
seen  the  graceful  curving  bays,  one  on  the  east 
and  one  on  the  west,  where  the  tideless  sea, 
which  changes  from  green  to  blue  beneath  the 
cloudless  sky  and  then  to  black  in  a  threatening 
storm,  glistens  with  white  foam  as  it  breaks 
against  their  pebbles  ;  and  farther  away  a  little 
island,  the  fabled  Aretias  of  the  Argonauts,  where 
two  queens  of  the  Amazons  erected  a  temple  to 
Mars. 

The  coast  to  the  east  of  Kerasund  presents 
a  picture  of  rugged  grandeur  combined  with 
luxurious  vegetation.  The  lofty  mountains  are 
intersected  by  numerous  deep,  narrow  valleys, 
formed  by  streams  that  descend  the  sides  of  the 
lofty  range  of  the  Kolat  Dagh.  Their  summits 
are  partly  covered  with  hazel,  oak,  and  pine  ; 
their  sides  contain  little  glens  shaded  with  azaleas 
and  rhododendrons,  with  crocus  and  myrtle. 

Two  of  these  valleys  pass  through  Trebizond, 
one  of  the  most  important  strongholds  captured 
by  the  Russians  in  their  recent  march  from 
Caucasia  to  Asia  Minor.  It  is  a  city  that  awakens 
interest  alike  in  its  ancient  and  its  mediaeval 
history.  It  was  the  colony  of  Sinope  which  the 
Greeks  called  Trapezuz  because  of  the  terrace  it 
occupies  ;    and  was  already  a   flourishing  town 


314  ASIA  MINOR 

when  the  Ten  Thousand  shouted,  "  The  Sea  ! 
The  Sea  I  "  as  they  entered  its  gates  after  their 
long  march  by  the  banks  of  the  Euphrates  and 
across  the  mountains  of  the  Carduchi.  In  the 
days  of  the  Roman  emperors  it  was  the  capital  of 
Pontus  and  Cappadocia  ;  but  it  only  reached  its 
greatness  after  the  beginning  of  the  thirteenth 
century,  when  it  became  the  seat  of  an  independent 
empire  of  the  Comneni,  which  flourished  for  a 
hundred  and  fifty  years. 

The  past  importance  of  the  city  was  largely 
because  it  was  a  port  at  the  end  of  the  great 
caravan  highway  that  for  ages  has  extended  from 
Tabriz  and  the  more  distant  parts  of  Persia  and 
the  Far  East.  Even  now  lines  of  camels  regularly 
come  and  go  at  certain  seasons  of  the  year,  bearing 
their  wares  as  in  former  days  ;  although,  since  the 
building  of  the  Russian  railway  from  Caucasia  to 
the  border  of  Persia,  the  commerce  of  the  interior 
has  been  largely  diverted. 

Most  of  the  inhabitants  live  in  crowded  dwell- 
ings on  the  terrace,  which  extends  for  about  a 
mile  from  the  old  harbour  to  the  new  one.  The 
old  harbour  was  at  the  western  end,  below  the 
walls  of  the  ancient  city,  and  was  protected  by  a 
mole,  the  foundations  of  which  may  still  be  seen 
beneath  the  water.  The  new  harbour  hes  to  the 
eastern  end  of  the  modern  city,  where  vessels 
anchor  half  a  mile  from  land  and  lighters  convey 
passengers  and  freight  to  and  from  a  short  wharf. 

We  were  rowed  ashore  in  a  small  boat,  whose 


SOUTHERN  SHORE  OF  BLACK  SEA     315 

seats  were  covered  with  Oriental  rugs,  as  is  usual 
throughout  Turkey  ;  and,  after  passing  the  in- 
spection of  the  custom's  official,  ascended  an 
inclined  road  leading  up  a  steep  wall  of  rock  to 
the  eastern  end  of  the  terrace.  In  this  newer 
part  of  Trebizond,  generally  known  as  the  Frank 
quarter,  the  principal  streets  radiate  from  a  large 
plaza  containing  trees,  flowering  bushes,  walks 
and  ornamental  fountains,  which  are  attended 
with  a  care  that  suggests  an  Occidental  city. 
One  of  these  streets  leads  to  an  interesting  little 
hotel  built  on  the  edge  of  the  terrace,  a  short 
distance  to  the  south-east  of  the  plaza  and  at  a 
higher  elevation.  As  it  is  managed  by  Europeans, 
we  were  not  surprised  to  find  clean  halls  leading 
to  tastily  furnished  rooms,  and  a  well-kept  garden 
which  overlooks  the  bay  to  the  east.  Another 
street  extends  westward  from  the  plaza  to  the 
bazaar,  which  is  surrounded  by  small  shops  where 
the  natives  make  shoes,  camel  trappings,  and 
innumerable  small  articles  for  the  people  who  hve 
in  the  districts  beyond  the  mountains,  as  well  as 
delicate  bracelets  and  dainty  filigree  of  silver  and 
gold  which  are  largely  exported.  Here  for  long 
hours  men  are  fashioning,  carving,  and  hammering  ; 
and  at  night  they  plod  as  mechanically  with  bent 
bodies  across  the  massive  bridge  that  spans  the 
most  easterly  of  the  valleys. 

The  principal  part  of  the  ancient  city  lay  at 
the  western  edge  of  the  terrace,  between  the  two 
valleys,  which  are  hardly  more  than  two  hundred 


3i6  ASIA  MINOR 

yards  apart,  and  extended  from  the  mole  to  the 
foot-hills.  A  castle  where  the  Comneni  held  their 
court  occupies  the  highest  elevation.  From  its 
lower  side,  walls  of  fortification  with  prominent 
towers  extended  along  the  adjacent  edges  of  the 
valleys  to  the  sea.  This  spot,  though  restricted 
in  area,  was  once  noted  for  its  gardens  ;  it  was  a 
seat  of  art  and  literature,  a  capital  distinguished 
for  its  magnificence  and  for  the  beauty  of  its 
princesses,  who  were  sought  in  marriage  by 
sovereigns  of  both  East  and  West.  But  now 
hardly  anything  remains  to  recall  those  days  of 
splendour.  Vines  still  climb  over  the  crumbling 
walls  ;  and  the  sides  of  the  valleys  are  covered 
with  picturesque  homes  and  edged  with  gardens. 
But  these  few  traces  of  the  past  only  emphasize 
the  spirit  of  decay  that  broods  over  the  castle  and 
among  the  ruins  of  the  ancient  Trebizond.  For 
more  than  twenty-five  centuries  the  city  has 
belonged  to  Eastern  races  ;  now  it  is  about  to 
yield  to  Western  civilization,  and  in  a  short  time 
will  undoubtedly  lose  all  characteristics  of  the 
remote  past. 

The  country  about  the  south-eastern  shore  of 
the  Black  Sea  is  as  unlike  the  great  ranges  behind 
it  as  the  valleys  bordering  the  iEgean  Sea  are 
unlike  the  western  edge  of  the  central  basin.  Yet 
with  all  their  physical  dissimilarity,  each  of  these 
different  parts  has  been  a  seat  of  empire  ;  and  in 
none  of  them  has  the  dominion  long  continued. 
Their  present  cities — Kerasund,  Trebizond,  Per- 


"^'^ 


/    / 


\ 


^        A    STRKICT    NKAR    T 


IIK    IIAZAAK    Ol-     IKKIII/.OM) 


SOUTHERN  SHORE  OF  BLACK  SEA  317 

gamus,  and  Konia — are  merely  feeble  growths 
beside  the  old  ;  only  a  wretched  village  stands  by 
the  walls  of  Pteria  ;   and  Sardis  is  no  more. 

The  fate  of  these  cities  is  that  of  numerous 
others  whose  names  are  part  of  classic  history. 
Everywhere  throughout  Asia  Minor  decaying 
ruins  mark  the  sites  where  art  and  culture  were 
united  with  barbaric  power.  Everywhere  are 
evidences  of  past  refinement,  splendour,  and  great- 
ness. And  over  all — the  prostrate  columns  and 
broken  entablatures,  the  domed  mosques  and 
black-green  cypresses,  the  fertile  valleys  and  the 
great  desert,  the  dark-visaged  men  and  the  silent 
veiled  women — lingers  the  spell,  undefinable  but 
wondrously  fascinating,  of  Asia :  the  cradle  of 
the  human  race,  the  land  of  luxurious  magnifi- 
cence, the  abode  of  mighty  empires  that  rose  and 
crumbled  long  before  the  western  world  had 
emerged  from  darkness ;  the  birthplace,  too,  of 
subtle  mysticism,  and  of  every  religion  that  has 
soothed  the  soul  in  anguish  and  comforted  it  with 
hope. 


CHAPTER  XV 

CONCLUSION 

yA  SIA     MINOR     occupies     an     important 

/^       position  as  the   gateway  between  the 

/     %^   industrial    West    and    the    awakening 

East.      It    is    a    country    which,    on 

account  of  its  vast  forests,  undeveloped  mineral 

wealth,  grain-producing  plains  and  fertile  valleys, 

is  capable  under  proper  conditions   of  a   great 

development. 

The  fact  that  this  country  has  developed  but 
sHghtly,  as  compared  with  Europe  and  America, 
is  due  largely  to  the  character  of  its  people.  With 
the  inheritance  of  deep-seated  proclivities  un- 
yielding to  a  foreign  contact  that  is  hardly  felt 
because  of  racial  isolation,  they  have  not  kept 
pace  with  the  moral,  social,  and  economic  growth 
of  the  world  ;  yet,  as  they  come  into  closer 
relation  with  world  poHtics  and  Occidental 
thought,  their  character  is  being  slowly  but 
gradually  modified.  Despite  abuses  perpetrated 
by  the  Government,  the  Turks  have  many  excellent 
quahties,  some  of  which  have  been  manifest 
during  the  last  two  decades  in  the  serious  efforts 
of  the  progressive  party  to  accompHsh  necessary 
reforms. 

318 


CONCLUSION  319 

Whether  the  Turkish  Empire  shall  endure  in  its 
integrity,  or  eventually  yield  to  the  hegemony  of 
some  other  power,  the  Turkish  race  will  continue. 
And  when  the  hopes  of  the  most  enhghtened  of  its 
own  people  shall  have  been  realized  :  when  the 
women  are  accorded  the  same  rights  as  men,  and 
the  men  have  risen  to  a  higher  plane  of  thought, 
and  of  mechanical  and  intellectual  efficiency, 
when  just  laws  regulate  their  rights  among  one 
another,  and  when  a  stable  Government  insures 
the  enforcement  of  those  laws  and  the  performance 
of  its  own  obligations,  Asia  Minor  will  occupy  a 
far  more  important  place  in  the  world's  activities 
than  it  has  enjoyed  for  many  centuries. 


INDEX 


Abdul  Aziz,  Sultan,  245,  298 
Abydos,  59 
Achilles,  60 
Achmet  mosque,  58 
.Egean  civdlizatioD,   14 
— Sea,  3,  5,  6,  8,  9,  11,  12,  15, 
59,  114,  161,  167 

—  shore,  97 
^ohan-Achaeans,  14 
iEolians,  64 
.Epytus,  173 
iEsculapius,  100 

—  temple  of,  95,  106,  175 
yEsop,  269 

Afium  Kara-hissar,  7,  70,  115, 

201,  206,  210,  265 
AgamemnoD,  60 
Aidin,  182,  183,  184 
Ak-hissar,  115,  118,  121,  122 
Ala-ed-din,    21,    22,    230,    237, 

244,  261,  286 
Alashehr,  138,  201,  205 
Alexander,  18,  65,  87,  96,  153, 

260 
Alp  Arslan,  20 
Alyattes,  14.  65,  126,  137 
Amasia,  294,  304 
Amazons,  118.  152 
American    Missionary    School, 

141 
"  American  Pharmacy,"  228 
Amphilochius,  Bishop,  229 
Anabasis,  18,  221 
Anatoli  Hissar,  299 
Anatolia,  58 

—  Amazons  of,  64 

—  Mountains  of,  91 
Ancyra,  285,  290 

Y 


Androclus,  tomb  of,  160 
Angora,  10,  23,  262,  265,  283, 

284,  289,  290 
Antigone,  island  of,  29 
Antigonea,  266 
Antigonus,  65 

—  the  one-eyed,  266 
Anticchia,  186 

Antiochus,  n8,  127,  173,  188 
Anti-Taurus,  4,  11,  12,  19 
Antony,  107 

—  and  Cleopatra,  156 
Apollo,  13 

Apple  Mountain,  286 
Ararat,  Mount,  221 
Arcadia,  100 
Archipelago,  the,  8 
Architecture,  Ionic,  131 
Ardebil,  carpet  of,  32 
Ardys,  son  of  Gyges,  173 
Aretias,  313 

Argaeus,  Mount,  212,  262 
Argonauts,  300 
Aristagoras,  17 
Armenia,  3,  18,  21,  297 
Arslan,  Alp,  20 
Artaxerxes,  18.  127 
Artemis,  12,  130,  132,  154,  157, 
170,  294 

—  temple  of,  170 
Aryan  race,  9,  12,  24 

Asia  Minor,  3,  4,  5,  6,  7,  8,  9, 
10,  II,  12,  13,  14,  15,  17,  18, 
20,  21,  23.  24,  25.  32,  33.  39, 
40,  41,  50,  55,  58,  93,  220, 
291.  307.  318. 

—  Sweet  Waters  of,  299 

—  Western,  8 


32> 


322 


ASIA   MINOR 


Asiatic  shores,  15 
Assyria,  9,  10,  11,  23 
Athena,  temple  of,  177 
Athene,  temple  of,  107 
Athens,  17,  18 
Attalid  dynasty,  107 
Attains  I,  19,  loi 

—  II,  102,  154 

—  Ill,  102 
Augustus,  285 

Axylon  Plains,   212,   220,   261, 

263,  284 
Ayasoluk,   143,   144,   147,   149, 

150,  152,  156,  164,  168 
Aziziah  mosque,  245 

Baba  Dagh,  180,  196 

Babylon,  12,  18 

Bagdad,  20,  27,  209,  260 

Bala-hissar,  283 

Balachik,  169,  170,  181 

Balkh,  20 

Bajazet,  22,  23,  38,   139,   183, 

285,  299 
Bank,  Imperial  Ottoman,  223, 

273 
Barbarossa,  Frederic,  193,  221, 

249 
Bariakli,  94 
Barnabas,  221,  249 
Bassora,  260 
Bath,  Diana's,  90 
Batum,  296,  303 
Bergama,  97,  98,  99 
Beshiktash,  298 
Bey  Keui,  270 
Beylerbey,  palace  of,  298 
Beyshehr,  Lake,  249 
Bias,  173 
Bilejik,  268 
Bin  Tepe,  136 

Bithynia,  7,  19,  38,  266,  267 
Black  Sea,  3,  4,  5,  8,  11,  12,  16, 

18,  29,  306 
Bceotia,  303 
Boghaz  Keui,  10,  11,  24,  260, 

262,  269,  290,  294,  303 
Bokhara,  20 


Bor,  260,  261 

Bosphorus,    26,    29,    267,    296, 
299 

—  Pearl  of  the,  298 

Boz  Dagh  range,  138,  141,  220 

Brennus,  18 

Britain,  20 

Brussa,  7,  22,  35,  38,  39,  40,  46, 

47.   51.  53.   54.   55-   76.   118, 

268,  277 
Bulgarians,  22 
Bulgurlu,  Mount,  298 
Burnabat,  Bay  of,  115 

—  Gulf  of,  67 

Butler,  Professor  Howard,  129 
Byzantine  capital,  22 

—  cities,  126 

—  frontier,  22 
Byzantines,  21 
Byzantium,  18 

Ca'icus,  the  river,  6,  19,  97,  99, 

loi,  112,  114 
Canaan,  291 
Candaules,  126 
Candilli,  298 
Cape  Inje,  301 
Cappadocia,  24,  209,  314 
"  Caravan  "  bridge,  87,  89,  90, 

92 

—  Serai,  310 
Carchemish,  9,  10,  260 
Carduchi,  305,  314 
Caria,  6,  15 

Carian  Aphrodisias,  186 
Carians,  152,  173 
Catherine  of  Russia,  137 
Caucasia,  75,  314 
Cayster,  6,  7,  65,  149,  152,  161 

—  mouth  of  the,  153 

—  valley  of  the,  14T,  168 
Caystrian  plain,  142 
Central  District,  278 
Cetius,  99 

"  Chambre  de  Commerce,"  273 
Chanderli,  97,  98 
Chelebi  Effendi,  239,  240,  242, 
243 


INDEX 


323 


Cheragan,  palace  of,  298 

China,  23,  93 

Chios,  island  of,  218 

Chosroes,  285 

Christian  era,  19 

"  Churches  of  Asia,"  132 

Cicero,  221 

Cilician  Gates,  18,  260 

—  Pass,  27 

Cimmerians,  13,  14,  126,  170 
Circassians,  170,  172,  271 
Cleopatra,  107 

Codrus,  King  of  Athens,  160 
Colophon,  65,  142,  154 
Colossae,  168,  186 
Colosse,  186 
Comneni,  314,  316 
Constantine,  266 

—  city  of,  23 
Constantinople,  23,  27,  30,  35, 

38,  51,  58,  118,  209,  231,  265 

Cordelio,  94,  115,  116 

Coressus    and     Prion,     moun- 
tains of,  152,  153 

—  Mount,  161 
Corinth,  Gulf  of,  34 
Cotyaeum,    reputed    birthplace 

of  /Esop,  269 
Cotyora,  306 
Croesus,   14,   16,  96,   126,   133, 

137,  153,  269 
Crete,  14,  306 
Crusaders,  118,  143 
Culture,  Greek,  16 
Cunaxa,  18 
Cybele,  123,  128,  130,  270,  294 

—  Asiatic,  153 

—  temple  of,  175 

—  the  Mother,  13 
Cydnus,  the  river,  5,  260 
Cyrus,  14,  18,  127,  260 

—  the     younger,     186,      210, 
249 

Daedalus,  167 
Dardanelles,  the,  59 
Darius,  18,  299 
Delphi,  269 


Delphic  oracle,  126 
Demeter,  177 

—  temple  of,  106 
Demon  Islands,  29 
Derbe,  249 
Dervishes,  Howling,  82 

—  ISIevlevi,  252 

—  Whirling,  79,  241 
Diana,  154 

—  temple  of,  156 
Diana's  Bath,  90 
Dinocrates  of  Macedonia,  157 
Diocletian,  266 

Diogenes,  birthplace  of,  303 
Dionysus,  temple  of,  107 
Diospolis,  188 
District,  Central,  272 

—  Hill,  272 

—  New,  272 

Dolma   Baghtcheh,    palace   of, 

298 
Dorylaium,  271,  281 

Ecclesiasterion,  the,  176 
Edscheli,  hamlet  of,  193 
Elma  Dagh,  286 
Endymion,  180 
Ephesian  Gate,  66 
Ephesus,   ID,    II,    12,   65,    141, 
143,  150.  154,  156 

—  harbours  of,  128 

—  plain  of,  148 

—  ruins  of,  6 

Eregli,  259,  260,  296,  303 

Eretria,  17 

Eski-hissar,  187 

Eski-shehr.  265,  268,  271,  273. 

277,  278,  283 
Eugenie,  Empress,  298 
Eumenes  I,  King  of  Pevgamus, 

19,   lOI 

—  n,  102,  103,  104,  107,  109 
Euphrates,  19,  214,  260,  314 
Euripides,  112 

Europe,  8,  9,  26 
Euxine,  the,  180 
Euyuk,  294 

—  ruins  of,  293 


324 

Feiaghans,  Persian,  77 
Fiance,  3 
Frank  Street,  67 
Franks,  67 


Galata,  297,  298 

—  wharf  of,  26 
Galatia,  19 
Gauls,  race  of,  18 
Gelaleddin,   Sultan    of    Persia, 

21 
Genoese  forts,  300 
Geuk  Su,  298 
Ghiordes  hearth-rugs,  77 
Giant's  Mountain,  300 
Giaour  Kalesi,  10 
Gibbon  the  historian,  20 
Godfrey  de  Bouillon,  281 
Golden  Horn,  27,  58,  297 
Gonjeli,    187,    188,     189,    191, 

276 

—  village  of,  186 
Goths,  the,  158 
Gramophone,  an  Edison,  146 
Greece,  13,  15,  16,  17,  19 
Greek  colonists,  16 

—  culture,  16 

—  girls,  33 
Greeks,  126 
Guzel-hissar,  183 
Gyges,  126,  128 

—  King,  burial-place  of,  136 

—  King  of  Sardis,  153 

Hadji  Bairam,  286 

—  Bektash,  263 

Hagia  Sophia,  23,  28,  58,  159 
Haidar  Pasha,  27 
Halicarnassus,  177 
Halki,  island  of,  29 
Halys,  the  river,  5,  14 
Hannibal,  38,  266 
Haroun  al-Raschid,  285 
Hatunie  Medrissa,  253 
Havanda,  tomb  of,  261 
Hellespont,  12,  15,  22,  127 
Hera,  temple  of,  106 
Hercules,  100 


ASIA   MINOR 


Hereke,  27,  30,  31,  32,  34 

—  imperial  factory  at,  26 
Hermus,  the  river,  6,  7,  11 

—  valley  of  the,  14,  18,  65,  70, 
114,  116,  118,  122,  126,  128, 
135.  138.  141.  153.  17O'  269 

Herodotus,  136,  155,  157,  180 
Hierapolis,   18,   168,   186,   188, 

193 
Hieroglyphics,  Eg5^ptian,  129 
Hill  District,  279 

—  of    the    Nightingales,    the, 

156 
Hissar-Itchi,  44 

—  Jami  mosque,  76,  77 
Hittites,  9,  10,  II,  12,  13,  14, 

24,  65,  128,  152,  269,  294 
Hogarth,  Mr.,  archaeologist,  158 
Homer,  90,  96,  142 
Hotel  d'Anatolie,  44 
Howling  Dervishes,  82 
Hyde  of  Homer,  134 

Iconium,  18,  21,  221 

—  Sultan  of,  38 
Ida,  Mount,  60 

Ilderim  Bajazet,  the  Sultan,  48 

Iliad,  the,  90 

India,  87 

Inscriptions,  Aramaic,  129 

—  Lydian,  129 

Ionian  Metropolis,  the,  142 

Ionian  Revolt,  17 

lonians,  15 

Ipsus,  battle  of,  210 

Irene,    wife   of    Emperor    Leo, 

30 
Isa  Bey,  183 

mosque  of,  150 

ruins  of,  155 

Iskenderoon,  Gulf  of,  3 
Ismid,  Gulf  of,  32,  36,  265,  266 
Ismik,  267 
Israelites,    the    Pharaoh    who 

oppressed  the,  11 
Italy,  16 
Ivriz,  ID 
—  village  of,  260 


INDEX 


3^5 


Janissaries,  origin  of  word,  263 
Janissary,  299 
Jason,  298 
Jelal-ed-din,  237 
John,  Apostle,  96,  154 
Julian  Calendar,  20 
Jupiter,  94 
Justinian,  143,  266 

Kaaba,  picture  of  the,  78,  240 
Kaisariyeh,  244,  260,  262,  263 
Kara-hissar,  296 
Karabel,  Pass  of,  10 
Karaman,    24,    212,    247,    249, 
252,  256,  259,  260,  277 

—  Emir  of,  253 
Kassaba,  123,  124 
Kechi  Kalesi,  143 
Kerasund,  296,  297,  307,  310, 

313.  316 
Khorasan,  20 
"  King's  Hall,"  106 
Kirshehr  rugs,  83 
Kizil  Irmak,  5,  262,  295,  303, 

305 
Knights  of  Rhodes,  73 

—  of  St.  John,  87 
Knossos,  palace  of,  14 
Kolat  Dagh,  313 

Konak,   41,   67,   79,   223,   227, 

307.  310 
Konia,  210,  212,  215,  220,  221, 
227,  231,  244,  245,  263.  277, 

317 
Koran,  the,  77 
Kurdistan,  21 
Kurds,  214,  305 
Kutaya,  269 

Lacedaemonians,  army  of,  loi 
Lake,  Gygean,  137 
Laodicea,  6,  18,  151,  168,  186, 
187,  196 

—  Combusta,  214 
Laranda,  249 
Latmus,  Mount,  180 
League,  the  Ionian,  65 
Lebedus,  154 


Leleges,  152 
Leo,  Emperor,  30 
Lesbos,  island  of,  15,  60,  99 
Lethaeus,  ravine  of  the,  168 

—  the,  169 
Levant,  the,  153 
Licinius  Lucullus,  313 
Liyen,  270 

Louvre,  the,  171 
Luke,  St.,  156 

reputed  tomb  of,  160 

Luxury,  Oriental,  16 
Lycaonia,  221 
Lycus,  the,  186 

—  valley  of,  188,  196 
Lydia,  6,  15 
Lydian  Empire,  127 
Lydians,  14,  16,  126 
Lysimachus,  65,  95,   loi,   103, 

153,  163,  173 

—  wall  of,  70,  161 
Lystra,  city  of,  249 

Ma,  Hittite  goddess,  12 
Maeander,    the,   6,   7,    18,    139, 
167,  169,  179 

—  valley  of  the,  153,  168 
Macedonia,  277 

Magnesia,  6,  114,  118,  i68,  182 

—  ad  Maeandrum,  170 

—  ad  Sipylum,  170 
Magnesian  Gates,  160 
Mahmud  Dagh,  141 
Malek  Shah,  20,  21 
Manisa,  115,  118,  123,  124 
Marathon,  17 

Marmora,  Sea  of,  3,  7,  26,  28, 
32,  34.  35.  56,  58.  59,97.  115. 
265 

Mars,  temple  of,  313 

Marseilles,  16,  97 

Marsivan,  294 

Mecca,  29,  49,  75,  77,  78,  83 

Mediterranean,  the,  3,  5,  6,  8, 

19 

—  shore,  4 
Medrissa,  Karadayi,  232 

—  Sirtchali,  234 


326 


ASIA   MINOR 


Megabyzus,  155 

Meles,  banks  of  the,  90,  141 

—  valley  of  the,  87 

—  waters  of  the,  88 
"  Melesigenes,"  90 

"  Merchant's  Palace,"  310 
Mermere  Gul,  137 
Mermnadae,  126 
Merv,  20 

Mesopotamia,  3,  22,  87 
Mevlana  Jelal-ed-din,  241 

the  sarcophagi  of,  238 

Mevlevi,  the,  79 

—  Dervishes,     Chief     of     the, 

239 

Tekke  of  the,  237 

Midas,  13,  269 

—  tomb  of,  270 

Miletus,   6,    17,   65,    153,    167, 

179,  306 
Minos,  dynasty  of,  14 
Mithridates,  285,  294,  307 

—  birthplace  of,  303 
Mnesymachos,  130 
Mohammed,  30 
Mohammed  I,  48,  49 

—  burial  place  of,  52 
Mohammed  II,  23,  299 
Monarchy,  Phrygian,  12 
Mongolia,  19 
Mongols,  21,  22 
Moslem,  22 
Moslems,  228 

Mosque,  Injeh  Minaret,  232 
Mosul,  260 
Mouhajirs,  276 
Mudania,  35,  37 
Mudjar,  263 
Murad,  22 
Murad  I,  263 

mosque  of,  47 

Murad  II,  23,  51 

mosque  of,  39 

Murad  Dagh,  207 

Mycale,  Mount,  172,  173,  177 

Mycenae,  270 

—  gates  of,  24 
Mysia,  6,  15,  100 


Nazli,  185 

Needle-shaped  rninaret,  232 

Nero,  193 

Niczea,  20,  21,  266,  267 

Nicene  Creed,  267 

Nicomedia,  266 

Nif  Dagh,  62,  141 

Nigdeh,  261,  262,  277 

Nile,  291 

Nineveh,  12,  260 

Niobe,  123 

Octavius,  158 
Odessa,  301 

Olympic  Mountains,  37 
Olympus,  Ionian,  62 

—  Mount,  30,  35,  54,  265 

—  snows  of,  40 

"  One  of  the  Seven  Wonders 

of  the  World,"  154 
Orchan,  22,  38,  47 
Ordu,  306 
Oriental  luxury,  16 
Ornamentation,  Seljukian,  244 

—  stalactite,  48 
Orthogrul,  22,  282 

Osiris  and  Isis,  temple  of,  177 
Osman,  22 

—  and    Orchan,    turbehs    of, 
52 

Ottoman  Empire,  22 

Ottomans,  22 

Oulou  Jami  mosque,  48 

—  mosque,  41,  42 
Oushak,  201,  205,  206,  265 

—  carpets,  50 

Pacific  Ocean,  124 

Pactolus,    124,   125,    126,    127, 

128,  129,  133,  135 
Pagus,  Mount,  65,  67,  71,  78, 

85.  87,  141 
Pan,  13 

Panderma,  97,  98,  115,  118 
Paradise,  village  of,  141 
Parthenon,  Athenian,  130 
Patmos,  isle  of,  154 


INDEX 


327 


Paul,    Apo3tle,    96,    120,    122, 
154,  156,  221,  249 

—  birthplace  of,  260 

—  tower    where    he    was    im- 
prisoned, 161 

Pearl  of  the  Bosphorus,  298 
Pegasus,  Lake  of,  142 
Pera,  298 

Pergamus,  6,  97,  100,  loi,  103, 
107,  109,  127,  316 

—  Eumenes  I,  King  of,  19 
Pericles,  17 

Persia,  20,  22,  23.  75,  87,  93 

—  kings  of,  16 

—  Western,  20 
Persian  Gulf,  27 
Persians,  10 

"  Pharaoh,"  13 

—  who  oppressed  the  Israelites, 
II 

Philadelphia,  6,  14,  38 
Philetaerus,  loi,  103 
Philomelium,  211 
Phrygia,  11,  186,  209 
Phrygian  King,  13 

—  monarchy,  12 

—  mountains,   4,   5,    114,    115, 
167,  269,  283 

Phrygians,  13,  14,  i6 

—  walls  of  the,  24 
Polycarp,  Bishop,  66 

—  burial  place  of,  95 
Pompey,  285 
Pontus,  294,  314 

—  kings  of,  307 

Poseidon,  the  sanctuary  of,  177 

Phoenicia,  16,  97.  128 

Pilgrim's  Plain,  29 

Phny,  65,  100 

Praxiteles,  159 

Priam,  60 

Priene,  6,   153,   167,   173,   178, 

180 
Princes  Islands,  29,  36 
Prinkipo,  island  of,  29 
Prion,   Mount,   156,    160,   161, 

164 
Propontis,  the,  180 


Proti,  island  of,  29 

Prusa,  38 

Prusias,  court  of,  38 

Prj'taneum,  the,  176 

Pteria,  10,  291,  317 

Ptolemy,  177 

Pursak  Chai,  river,  273,  283 

Pyrrhus,  100 

Race,  Aryan,  12 

Railway,  Bagdad,  263 

Ramadan,  229 

Rameses  II,  11 

Ramsay,  Professor  W.  M.,  2r>o 

Red  River,  5 

Revolt,  Ionian,  17 

Rhodes,  Knights  of,  73 

Riza,  296 

Robbers,  Isaurian,  250 

Robert  College,  buildings  of  the, 

299 
Roman  Empire,  19 
Rome,  19 

Roum,  221,  243,  250 
Roumeli  Hissar,  299 
Royal  Road,  11,  65,  115,  209, 

261,  283 
Rugs,  Kirshehr,  83 

Sabanja,  Lake,  266 

Safaranboli,  7 

St.  John,  100,  143,  144 

—  Knights  of,  87 

St.  Peter,  castle  of,  73 

St.  Stephen,  cathedral  of,  70 

Sakaria,   the  river,   5,    12,   22, 

266,  270 
Salamis,  17 
Salt  Desert,  212 
Samarkand,  23 
Samos,  island  of,  6,  177 
Samsun,  273,  294,  303,  305 
Sardis,   6,    10,    14,    18,  65,   66, 

114,  124,  125,  126,  127,  128, 

131.  133.  134.  186 

—  fallen  woman  of,  137 
Sart,  124,  138 

Sayce,  Profes^^or,  294 


328 


ASIA   MINOR 


Scamander,  the  river,  6 
Scipios,  1 1 8,  120,  127 
Scopas,  the  sculptor,  159 
Scutari,  298 

—  cemetery  of,  27 

—  people  of,  28 
Scythians,  13 
Selinus,  99 

—  banks  of  the,  103 
Seljuk,  1 9,  20 

Seljuks,  20,  22,  150,  211,  221 

—  Mohammedan,  262 

—  of  Roum,  21 
Seljukian  art,  50 

—  sultans,  21 

—  Turks,  19 
Semitic  race,  24 
Serapji  mosque,  78 
Servians,  22 
Shah,  Malek,  20 

—  Tamasp,  33 
Shores,  Asiatic,  15 
Sicily,  16 

Silleh,  214 

Sinope,  293,  296,  303,  306,  313 

Sipylus,  123 

—  Mount,  65,  87,  116,  118 

—  Mountains,  115 
Sivas,  294,  304 

Smyrna,  7,  14,  58,  62,  64,  65, 
66,  67,  72,  73,  75,  78,  87,  90, 

93.  94.  95.  97.  98,  114.  115. 
116,  118,  138,  142,  152,  153, 
201,  208,  265 

—  Bay  of,  6 

—  bazaar  of,  73 

—  figs,  169 

—  harbours  of,  128 

—  the  Point  at,  141 
Smyrna-Kassaba  railway,  70 
SociMe  des  Eaux  de  Smyrne,  91 
Socrates,  18 

Sokia,  169,  170,  171,  180 

Soliman,  20,  32 

Soliman  I,  286 

Soma,  97,  98 

Sophocles,  112 

South  Kensington  Museum,  33 


Spain,  3 
Sparta,  17 

Stamboul,  26,  27,  59 
Strabo,  102,  140,  171 
Street,  the  Golden,  66 
Sugut,  282 

Sultan  Abdul  Aziz,  245 
Sultan  Dagh,  210 
Sultan  Khan,  262,  263 

village  of,  244 

Sultanate  of  Roum,  21 

Sultans,  Seljukian,  21 

Symplegades,  300 

Syria,  23,  87 

Syrians,  White,  of  Strabo,  9 

Tabriz,  32,  314 

Tamasp,  Shah,  33 

Tamerlane,  22,  23,  38,  48,  74, 
87,  96,  127,  139,  144,  269, 
285,  299 

Tantalus,  94,  118,  123 

Tartars,  22 

Taurus,  Anti-,  11 

Taurus  Mountains,  4,  5,  6,  10, 
220,  247,  260 

Tchekirgueh,  45,  54 

Tekke,  hamlet  of,  170 

Telephus,  100,  109 

"  Ten  Thousand,"  the,  306,  314 

Tenedos,  island  of,  60 

Thekla,  St.,  215 

Thermae  of  Caracalla  and  Dio- 
cletian, 193 

Thermopylae,  17 

Tbyateira,  114,  120 

Tiberius,  118 

Tiberius  Caesaj",  127 

Tigris,  18,  260 

Tissaphernes,  loi 

Tmolus,  Mount,  124,  128,  138, 

139 
Tokat,  304 
Tombs,   Hill  of  the,    125,    129 

133 
Traitor's  Gate,  299 
Trajan,  158 
—  temple  dedicated  to,  107 


INDEX 


329 


Tralles,  131,  168,  1S4 
Trans-Caucasia,  296 
Trapezuz,  313 
Trebizond,  3,  18,  296,  297,  313, 

315.  316 
Trojans,  60 
Troy,  15,  60 
Turanian  race,  24 
Turcoman  shepherds,  22 
Turkomans,  305 
Turks,  Seljukian,  19 
Turkey,  Asiatic,  75 
Turkish  Asia,  121 
—  Empire,  27 
Turkestan,  20,  22,  75,  87 
Tuz  Geul,  Lake,  212,  261,  263 
Two    Brothers,    peaks   of   the, 

62 
Tyana,  262 

Vesta,  ruins  of  temple  of,  95 
Virgil,  140 

Vizier  Khan,  a  Turkish  haunt, 
95 


Wall,  Byzantine.  86 
Watch  tower,  288 
White  Castle,  120 
William  the  Conqueror,  20 
Wood,     Mr.,     English    archae- 
ologist, 158 

Xenophon,   18,   loi,   127,  210, 

221,  249 
Xerxes,  60,  127,  180,  260 

"  Yeni  Cheri,"  263 

Yeni  Valideh,  mosque  of,  297 

Yeshil  Irmak,  294 

—  Jami  mosque,  49,  51,  52 

—  Medrissa,  53 

—  mosque,  53 

—  Turbeh  mausoleum,  52 
Yorgan  Ladik,  214 

Yuruks,  91.92,93.  138.  148,  247 
Yuzgat,  262 

Zenobia,  285 

Zeus,  altar  of,  107,  108 


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